


Turnabout

by Tikatu



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Canon - TV, F/M, Family, Humor, Original Character(s), Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-26
Updated: 2013-05-26
Packaged: 2017-12-13 00:04:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 59,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/817616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tikatu/pseuds/Tikatu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A take on Thunderbirds you probably haven't seen before. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Another Idyllic Day

**Author's Note:**

> This story was published first at fanfiction.net, then at my own site and FanNation. It's presented here with very few edits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere out there in the ether that is the World Wide Web, on some Thunderbirds web site whose name I can't recall, someone asked a question. A what if? kind of question. I can't remember who it was, but this fic is my answer to that question. I can't tell you what the question was; it's too big of a spoiler! I think you'll figure it out after Chapter One.

It was a typically idyllic day on Tracy Island. Members of International Rescue were sunning themselves around the pool. The aquanaut was diving from the highest board, making barely a ripple in the pool's surface. The youngest Tracy and the engineer's assistant were playing tennis. And indoors, the head of International Rescue and CEO of Tracy Aerospace and Construction was eyeing a new proposal, one with the potential of making the multi-billionaire a multi-multi-billionaire.

The CEO tapped a pencil on a strong chin while reading. _Hmm. This is intriguing. I'll have to look into it further..._.

Suddenly, a loud beeping filled the lounge, and the eyes of the portrait nearest to the desk began to blink. The CEO morphed suddenly into commander and reached for the switch to open communications with International Rescue's manned satellite and eye-in-the-sky, Thunderbird Five.

"Base to Thunderbird Five. We read you. Go ahead."

"Thunderbird Five to base... uh, well, we have an emergency...." The space monitor pushed a golden curl out of cornflower blue eyes. Then another. And another. All the while fumbling with a clipboard of sorts.

The commander sighed. "Next time you are dirt side, you are getting a haircut!"

"Uh, sure, base," said the space monitor, who finally righted the clipboard and stood up straight.

"I, uh, have a message from a small town in Fiji. There's a volcano rumbling and they need help."

The commander sighed again. "What kind of help?"

The space monitor consulted the clipboard and frowned. Reading _sotto voce_ , the voice of International Rescue finally came to the crux of the matter. "Uh, there's a research station full of bul... val..."

"Vulcanologists?" came a voice from the other end of the lounge as the pilot of Thunderbird One stepped inside.

"Yeah, whatever! Anyway, they're trapped in a little bitty research center on the side of the volcano and can't get out. And the volcano's supposed to re... ear..."

"Erupt." Another voice was heard from near the piano as Thunderbird Two's pilot sat down at the bench of the baby grand.

The space monitor smiled. "Yeah, thanks!"

"Okay, Thunderbird Five, we have the message. Transmit coordinates to Thunderbird One once it's airborne." The commander turned to the pilot of the rocket plane. "We need...."

"Already gone," said the pilot, using the wall sconces to gain access to the lead Thunderbird. Sharp blue eyes now rested on the musician, who sighed and went to stand by a picture of a rocket.

"I'm going. What pod should I take?"

"Take Five with the Firefly and the extra winch equipment."

"Can I get some help on this one?"

The commander nodded at the aquanaut. "You go this time and double crew."

The aquanaut rolled amber-brown eyes, but said simply, "FAB," and headed for the passenger elevator.

The picture tipped up and Thunderbird Two's pilot began the long journey to the green cargo carrier. The tennis player swung a racket, dropped sullenly into a chair, and complained, "Why don't _I_ get to go this time?"

"Because my calendar tells me you're about to become a bitchy whiner," responded the commander curtly. "The others don't need your attitude right now."

The tennis player got up and left in a huff, dragging along the engineer's assistant.

"Come on, Tin-Tin, let's play some more tennis."

The roar of Thunderbird One's engines passed by quickly outside as it rose swiftly from its hidden launch bay under the pool. The commander sat back, then turned to the space monitor.

"Don't you have something to do?"

"Uh, oh yeah! I have to tell Thunderbird One where to go. I'll do that now. Thanks. Bye-Bye!"

Communications closed and Jeff Tracy put his head in his hands and shook it.

_Lucille, why in the world did you have to leave me with five girls?_


	2. Another Idyllic Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The question that had been burning in my mind when I started this fic was: what if Lucille Tracy were in charge of IR? Or something to that effect.
> 
> Now for my disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds, on which my characters are based. Nor do I mean any disrespect whatsoever to the astronauts, living or dead, whose names I have borrowed for my fiction. If they or their loved ones happen to read this story, I hope they will see it for the bit of fun and fluff that it is.

"Changing to horizontal flight," Sally Ride Tracy tucked a lock of her nearly black pageboy behind her ear as she piloted Thunderbird One through the blue skies over the Pacific. Her sapphire blue eyes scanned her instruments, and lighted on her hat. She made a face, one that still brought out the deep dimples in her smooth cheeks.  
  
 _I hate that hat. We all hate the hat. Why does Daddy make us wear it? It's not becoming, it squashes down our hair and it's not like it protects our heads or anything. Makes us look like a bunch of twentieth century airline hostesses._ Her internal grousing was interrupted by a voice coming over the radio.  
  
"Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird One. Are you there, Sal?"  
  
"Yes, Mae."  
  
"I have the numbers now."  
  
"Okay. Give me the coordinates." Sally shook her head. _Mae can understand over seventeen languages and can even write shorthand. But she can barely string together a coherent sentence in English. Mom or Dad must have dropped her on her head when she was a baby or something._  
  
In Thunderbird Five, Mae Jemison Tracy, space monitor, carefully read off the coordinates, giving her oldest sister directions to the Danger Zone. Her white-blonde curls framed a perfect, beautiful face, so perfect that she had been a model and had plans on becoming a supermodel before her father gathered her up, paid off all her modeling contracts, and forced her into astronaut training. "It's what your mother would have wanted," Jeff had said at the time. And Mae was sure he had muttered under his breath, "Anything to get her away from those pervert fashion designers."  
  
Now Mae spent every other month in geosynchronous orbit above the Earth. She didn't mind much; she had the stars to entertain her--stars of the silver and the plasma screen, that is. She read every gossip rag she could get her hands on. And it had other advantages, too. No one complained about her music and how loud she played it like they did at home. And Daddy was very strict about it being only a month at a time. Mae smiled; she knew that her baby sister, Val, would be on her way in a few days. And she knew why.  
  
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Five. Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Five. Come in, Thunderbird Five." Sally was getting agitated. One of the coordinates that Mae had given her had been rejected by the onboard guidance computer. "Earth to Mae!"  
  
"Oh, yeah. What is it, Sal?" Sally could tell by the tone of Mae's voice that her blonde sister had been daydreaming again.  
  
"Please give me that third coordinate number again? The computer said it wasn't right."  
  
Mae made a soft 'hrmph' through her nose and read the coordinates off again. This time the third and fourth coordinates resolved themselves into something that the computer liked and it gave the destination as Fiji. Sally muttered under her breath.  
  
"Ditz."  
  
Mae's outraged voice came loud and clear over the air. "I heard that, Sally!"  
  
Sally shook her head and made no response. Trying to would just get her into a fight with the space monitor and Daddy would most likely start shouting.  
  
In Thunderbird Two, still sitting in the hangar bay, petite, chestnut- haired Christa McAuliffe Tracy was swearing up a storm. She was having trouble with her pilot's seat. Behind her, short-haired Jerrie Cobb Tracy, familiarly known as "JC", schooled her face into a concerned but uninvolved look. Changing the settings on the pilot's chair was JC's most favorite way to get back at her prissy older sister. Christa was petite in stature and in build and under normal conditions she almost needed to sit on a thick phone book to see out of Thunderbird Two's wide ports. Almost. However, Brains had modified the seat so that when it was extended to its limit, Christa could sit comfortably and see out as well.  
  
It had been months since JC had fiddled with the settings. The last time, Sally had dragged her down to the beach and had tried to beat the tar out of her. It had been a close one; Sally had both the reach and the heft on the younger woman and in the end, JC went down, face in the sand, promising she'd apologize and she'd never do it again. And she had kept her promise; it wasn't actually _her_ hands that had moved the chair, it was Val's. Under coercion, of course.  
  
Christa finally stopped trying to fix the chair while sitting in it and got up, glaring at JC as she did so. The copper-haired woman spread her hands and gave Christa her most innocent look.  
  
"Not me. Not this time."  
  
"Better not have been," Christa hissed through clenched teeth. She had just sat back down, trying out the hopefully restored settings, when Jeff's voice came over the radio loudspeaker.  
  
"Thunderbird Two, what is the hold-up?"  
  
"Uh, equipment glitch, Dad. I've got it resolved now," Christa told him as she powered up the big green machine. She grabbed the steering yoke and pressed down on the accelerator and the cargo carrier headed out to its launching spot near the end of the runway. A flip of a switch and a piece of the airstrip rose at an angle. JC hunkered down in her seat; she hated take-offs and this one in particular.  
  
The engines fired, and Thunderbird Two rose majestically into the sky. JC's face paled, and Christa glanced back at her younger sister with a small smile. If JC had been the one to change the settings on her chair, Christa had just gotten her revenge.  
  
They rose to cruising height, and Sally relayed the coordinates to keep Mae from making the same mistake again. Sally had landed at the base of the volcano and had set up Mobile Control. She was using ultra-strong binoculars to review the situation.  
  
"I don't have any contact with the vulcanologists, Mae. Will you see if you can raise them?"  
  
"Uh, raise them?"  
  
Sally sighed. "Will you call them back? Ask them how many of them are there?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Okay." Mae's face on Sally's telecomm frowned. "Is that what 'raise' really means?"  
  
"It's one of the meanings. Now, when you call back the vulcanologists, can you patch them through to Mobile Control? I mean, can you send the signal here to me?" Sally changed her wording so that her sister would understand.  
  
"Yes, I can. I understood you the first time," Mae said huffily.  
  
"Mae, could you please use the code word?" Sally pleaded. Her Air Force training had accustomed her to acronyms and code words. She found it was hard working with someone who refused to use them, even when Daddy had said it was to be SOP (standard operating procedure).  
  
"Eff-Ay-Bee!" Mae shouted, making Sally wince.  
  
 _Great. Now she'll be in a snit all day long._  
  
The face of the lead vulcanologist appeared on the screen in front of Sally, her sweaty face streaked with dirt.  
  
"Thank God you're here!," she exclaimed in accented English. "How soon until you can get us out?"  
  
Sally consulted her chronometer. "Our heavy equipment should be here soon. How many of you are there?"  
  
"Seven! And we have our research and computers and...."  
  
Sally cut her off. "We save lives, ma'am. I'm afraid you'll have to leave your research and computers behind."  
  
The vulcanologist sighed. "Of course. We'll be ready."  
  
Sally looked up as the welcome sound of Thunderbird Two's engines rumbled overhead. "We'll be with you in a few minutes." She opened communications with Christa.  
  
"Chris, you want to change places? This might be a heavy one." Sally tended to offer Christa the lighter jobs and take the heavier ones on herself.  
  
"No." Christa wiggled in her command chair. It still didn't feel right. "I'll take this one." She would talk to Sally later about the changed settings.  
  
"F-A-B, Thunderbird Two. There are seven vulcanologists in the research station. Keep in communication with Mobile Control," Sally said crisply.  
  
"F-A-B," Christa answered. She guided her cargo carrier over to the beleaguered and besieged buildings.  
  
"Thermal imager registers six hits in the main building. I can't see a seventh," JC told her older sister. She had moved to the console controlling that device and was scanning the Danger Zone with it.  
  
 _JC likes to be on top of things,_ Christa thought. _The years she spent in WASP paid off for Daddy after all._ She turned to her ginger-haired sister. "I'll put it on autopilot and work the rescue capsule winch."  
  
"Nah. I'll use the remote control on the winch and you can pilot. Looks like you'll have some wicked thermals to fight up here above that fresh lava," JC said off-handedly.  
  
"Are you sure?" Christa asked. Ever since the hydrofoil accident, JC had been very indifferent to her own safety. She was more likely than any of them to jump first, check the parachute later.  
  
JC grinned at Christa and winked. "Yeah. I'm sure. You just keep your big green baby in the sky. If you can."  
  
Christa fumed. The girls had been scared spitless when she had been shot down by the USS Sentinel; but once the incident was over and she had recovered, they had teased her mercilessly about it as well. Almost as much as they teased Sally about being shot down by the Zombites.  
  
JC left the thermal imager and headed back to find a heat resistant suit. Her sisters complained about any and all of the equipment that they wore, including the uniforms. But JC didn't much care. There was no looking sexy in a deep sea diving suit, after all. She pulled the heat resistant coverall on over her uniform, taking care to remove the sash, but she didn't put on the hood. Not yet. Not unless she really needed it and the oxygen.  
  
Taking the remote for the rescue capsule winch and checking the batteries to see that they were fresh, JC picked up the portable thermal imager and headed down to the lower level of Thunderbird Two's main body. She radioed up to Christa. "I'm set."  
  
"F-A-B. I'm over the Danger Zone. Winch away when you are ready."  
  
The bay doors in the floor of the winch room swung outward. JC started to manhandle the rescue capsule into place. This was why she said she'd go down. As much as Christa took weight training and worked out, she was still not as strong as the aquanaut. And as much as their father tried to make things easy for them, changing the winch scenarios was one thing neither he nor Brains had been able to improve on. Yet.  
  
JC positioned the metal box over the bay doors and stepped inside. _This thing's just a glorified elevator,_ she groused to herself as she pushed the 'down' button on the winch controls. _And it doesn't hold enough people either._  
  
The winch let her down easily but she jumped out of the capsule before it could hit the ground between the two main buildings and she set off running. The adrenaline pumped through her as she ran; this is what she lived for, the thrill of staring death in the face and spitting in its eye.  
  
She reached the building where the six thermal hits had registered. The lava of Mae's 'rumbling' volcano was coming closer, eating up parking lot and taking out cars with massive explosions of gas tanks. JC pulled on the door, trying the latch, but it was locked from the inside. She pounded on it and shouted, "It's International Rescue! Open up!" but to no avail. Disgusted, she turned to her sister in the sky.  
  
"JC to Thunderbird Five," she called tersely into her wrist telecomm.  
  
"Thunderbird Five here," Mae answered, sighing. "What do you want, JC?"  
  
"Number one: tell those vulcanologists that we are here to rescue them."  
  
"Eff-Ay-Bee," Mae intoned in an sarcastic voice.  
  
"And number two: tell them to unlock the goddamned door!" JC shouted.  
  
"Okay, okay. You don't have to get huffy about it. Good thing Grandma didn't hear you say that. She'd get very upset."  
  
"I'm sure she would, Thunderbird Five. But you're not going to tell her about it."  
  
"Oh? And why wouldn't I?"  
  
JC grinned wickedly at her beautiful sister. "Because you are due to be dirt side in just a couple of days and if you want to stay on my good side, not a word will you utter about my language."  
  
Mae huffed. She did not want to be on the receiving end of one of JC's infamous practical jokes. The last time she was, JC had tampered with Mae's mud pack so that its olive color transferred itself to Mae's face. Fortunately for JC the color came off with the application of rubbing alcohol. And also, fortunately for JC, Mae did not tell Daddy. Very seldom did Jeff learn about any of JC's pranks, mostly because you never knew when JC had a juicy tidbit about you that you did not want him to know about.  
  
On JC's end, there was no way she wanted their straight-laced grandmother, Ruby Mae, to know that she had been swearing. No one risked a flaying from Grandma's sharp tongue.  
  
Ruby Mae had spent the past twenty years or more trying to mold each of the Tracy girls into what she termed as "ladies". It was to her everlasting despair that two of her granddaughters had chosen the military: Sally joining the Air Force and Jerrie (no uncouth "JC" for Grandma!) enlisting with WASP.  
  
She was thrilled that her namesake, Mae, had decided to be a model; thrilled, that is, until she went backstage at one of François Lemaire's shows and saw the shocking state of undress that Mae had to endure during ensemble changes. "And with men walking around and everything!" Grandma had said when she'd recovered from her faint. She was pleased with Christa's talents in music and art and displeased when Jeff insisted that Christa learn to be a pilot. "Ruby Mae, we live on an island in the South Pacific. Flying is our main way of getting anywhere. Try to think of it as 'learning to drive'," he had told her. His comparison didn't cut it at all; she still didn't approve and she never learned to fly herself.  
  
But the biggest headache Grandma gave to the girls, and to Jeff, too, if truth be told, was that she doted on and spoiled the youngest Tracy girl, Valentina Tereshkova Tracy, familiarly known as Val. "She's the last remnant I have of my beloved daughter," Grandma was often heard to say tearfully. "I will raise her as if she were my own." As a result, Valentina could do no wrong in Grandma's eyes and many were the times as teenagers that one or more of the older girls were punished for returning to Val that aggravation she had inflicted on them.  
  
The door to the building finally gave way, and a sweaty, Asian man poked his head through. He flung open the door, calling back to his companions to say that, yes, International Rescue was really there!  
  
JC shouldered her way inside. "Is anyone hurt?" she asked the small knot of people who stood huddled together, the Asian man rejoining their ranks. Strangely enough, they kept looking at something behind her.  
  
Just in time, JC ducked.


	3. Getting Carried Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I might identify the astronauts whose names have I borrowed for this story, one or two per chapter, starting with the very first pioneers.
> 
> **Valentina Tereshkova** \--THE pioneer, the first woman in space. Flew into space as a cosmonaut for the Soviet Union on June 16, 1963
> 
> **Jerrie Cobb** \--Selected as one of the first thirteen U.S. women to undergo the same training as the Mercury 7 astronauts. Alas, she was never able to travel into space.
> 
> Now for my disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds, on which my characters are based. Nor do I mean any disrespect whatsoever to the astronauts, living or dead, whose names I have borrowed for my fiction. If they or their loved ones happen to read this story, I hope they will see it for the bit of fun and fluff that it is.

JC rolled with her duck and reached for her pistol, remembering belatedly that her pistol was with her sash and her sash was back on Thunderbird Two. Her attacker slashed down with a flat piece of wood, brightly painted, holding it as if it were a baseball bat.

_A cricket bat? What the hell is a cricket bat doing in Fiji?_ JC pondered briefly as she ducked again, the flat paddle swishing over her head.

"Who are you and why are you attacking me?" she shouted, backpedaling. "I'm here to help!" Out of the corner of her eye she could see the six scientists huddled together just watching the action. _No help from that quarter. But, if I can lure this guy further in..._  
  
She took a good look at her attacker. He looked Polynesian, with dark, frizzled hair and thick brows but something about him seemed familiar. JC had no time to ponder more than that as he pressed on with his assault. She said nothing as she fell back some more, her hands questing for a weapon, staying out of range of the bat's swing. Finally, she gauged he was far enough into the room, and past those she'd come to rescue.

"Run for it! The rescue capsule is out in the courtyard! Go! Go! Go!" she shouted to the small knot of people.

Her voice cracked across the room and the shocked group finally sprang into life, running for the door, helping one of their number along. Within seconds they were gone, but that tiny bit of time, that tiny distraction of JC's focus, allowed her attacker to get closer and to swing the bat dangerously close to the IR operative's head. JC's WASP training kicked in automatically and without a conscious thought she raised a forearm to swat it away. She began to try and circle back around, to get out of the confined area she had willingly backed herself into. She dropped to the right; the batter seemed to be a right-handed one and all of the attacks were coming from her left. The wood whistled over her head, and as her assailant drew the bat back, she ducked to her left and under it, sprinting for the door.

But as she did, the attacker swung around full circle, his weapon gaining speed and power and catching JC high on the right shoulder. She stumbled, clutching at her numbed arm, and fell to the floor, her own momentum causing her to slide some feet before coming to a stop. Her enemy approached slowly, grinning, bat held high, when suddenly there was a rat-a- tat-tat of Gatling gun fire that took out the windows. The sound of powerful VTOL engines shook the structure as the silver form of Thunderbird One appeared through the ruined blinds.

Sally's angry voice reverberated through her exterior speakers.

"Put down your weapon and back off, creep! I've got you in my sights!" The thermal imaging technology that allowed International Rescue to find victims was also incorporated into the weapons targeting scanners, and Sally could clearly "see" the two figures inside the room by their heat signatures.

Her assailant dropped the bat. _He must know that Sally isn't lying,_ JC thought as she looked up at him. _But how?_ Suddenly, the man's eyes focused on hers and open wide, glowing with an eerie yellow aura. JC gasped, and scrunched her eyes tight against it.

"Oh, no! Not you again!" she shouted. Picking herself up with an effort, she groped blindly for the exit, letting her useless arm hang down. She could hear the crunch of the man's footsteps as he came across the glass-strewn floor after her. At the last possible second, JC whipped open the door and was through. She opened her eyes and scrambled down the stairs. Thunderbird Two was nowhere to be seen, but Thunderbird One was there, a rope ladder lowered. JC ran for it, the sounds of her pursuer spurring her on despite the pain in her shoulder. Sally began to lift upwards and swing the tail of the rocket plane back towards the building, bringing the strong downward draft of her main VTOL engine to bear on JC's attacker and knocking him to the ground.

_Dammit, Sally, why can't you stay still!_ JC thought to herself as Sally's maneuver moved the ladder out of her ready grasp. But a few steps more, a leap into the air, and JC had caught the ladder with her left hand. She quickly wrapped her left leg through the rungs and then shouted into her telecomm, "Get the hell outta here!"

Slowly, or at least slowly for her, Sally turned her ship towards the city. JC looked down to see her enemy get off the ground and shake an impotent fist at her. Then she closed her eyes and hung on for dear life.

"Get up here!" Sally's voice ordered over the telecomm.

"I can't. My arm... he may have broken it," JC called back, the first note of pain creeping into her tone.

_Damn!_ Sally thought. _Now I can't go high enough to avoid the thermals or the heat! Not if I want to keep JC at a level where she could survive a fall._  
  
She radioed down to her sister. "Okay, JC. Just hold on tight and... uh... hang in there. I'll get you to help as quickly as I dare."

"O-Okay, Sally," JC said, wrapping her other leg firmly around the ladder's rungs.

Sally grimly picked up speed, causing the ladder to billow out slightly. The winch it was on wasn't strong enough to pull up more than the weight of the ladder itself, or Sally would have winched her sister up into her craft. _Need to talk to Dad about that,_ Sally thought. _This situation could happen again._  
  
JC gritted her teeth as they went over the lava. She felt the heat rising from the molten rock on her face and now wished she had put on the protective hood. She breathed shallowly, ducking her mouth and nose into her suit, knowing that the air around her was hot, too hot and too full of various chemical fumes to be breathed in safely. Thunderbird One shuddered briefly as the thermal currents created turbulence in the sky around the ship and tried to push it upwards. But Sally was a skilled pilot; she knew just how fast she could go to minimize the thermals' action and still keep JC safe on the ladder below her. It seemed like an eternity, but it was mere moments before they were clear of the lava and it's affects on the atmosphere.

"You still with me, JC?" Sally asked worriedly.

"Y-Yeah. I'm still here."

"I'm taking you directly to the hospital so that they can take a look at that arm."

"N-No, Sal. I see Thunderbird Two parked up ahead. Take me there instead and let Christa take me home. Brains can deal with whatever injuries I have. And if not, then I'll let Daddy take me to the hospital."

Sally frowned. JC hated hospitals, a remnant of her four months spent in one after the hydrofoil crash that nearly claimed her life. But Sally felt obligated to take care of her younger sister and make sure she was all right. It had been ingrained in her during her formative years as she had helped her father raise her sisters after their mother's untimely death.

This time, however, the decision was taken out of her hands as a deep voice cut in.

"Base to Thunderbird One."

"Thunderbird One here."

"Bring Jerrie home. We'll deal with her here."

"F-A-B, base."

Christa sat at Mobile Control, waiting tensely for Sally's arrival. She used the binoculars to watch Thunderbird One's progress and gasped to see JC hanging on the rope ladder. She immediately radioed her sister.

"Mobile Control to Thunderbird One."

"Thunderbird One here, go ahead."

"Sally, can't you get JC up into your 'Bird?"

"No, Chris. The winch won't take her weight and she can't climb. Her arm is hurt. You'd better be ready to catch her when we arrive at your position. What's the status on the victims?"

"One was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Seems she tried to tangle with whoever was lying in wait for JC. The others have been whisked away by the police for debriefing." Thunderbird One was getting closer; Christa could hear the whine of the engines as it approached. "I'll have to go over the winch mechanism for damage; the rescue capsule wasn't made to carry six."

"F-A-B. Base says that we need to bring JC home. We'll deal with her injuries there."

"F-A-B. Thunderbird Five, did you get all that?"

"F-A-B, Mobile Control," Mae sounded more subdued than she had when the rescue began. _That's just the way we are,_ Christa realized. _When one hurts, we all hurt._  
  
Thunderbird One was now almost directly overhead. The bystanders who were watching backed off from the loud VTOLs and the wind they kicked up, but Christa stood firm for a moment then ran towards the silver rocket and the ladder that was slowly being lowered to the ground. She reached JC just as the part of the ladder to which the aquanaut clung touched down. Sliding her arms around her larger sister, she spoke into JC's ear.

"You can let go now. You're down. You're safe."

JC untangled her right leg from the ladder's rungs and put it firmly on the ground. Then she put down the left leg. But as soon as she let go with her hand, her knees buckled and she fell backwards. Christa grunted, but held on tight as JC's weight shifted towards her.

"I've got you."

Carefully she lowered herself to the ground, still clutching JC's chest, until she sat on her butt, propping her sister up with her own body. She spoke into her telecomm.

"Thunderbird One, I have her. You'd better set down and give me a hand here. She's too wrung out to walk on her own."

"F-A-B," was Sally's terse answer. She lifted Thunderbird One back into the sky, causing a mini-whirlwind of dirt and debris to sweep about her sisters. The ladder retracted into the hatch, stopping at just the right length for Sally to use as she put her craft down, light as a feather, some distance away. She hopped out, using first few rungs then jumping down the rest of the way from the belly of the rocket plane. Sprinting across the uneven dirt, she joined Christa and JC as the latter rested, her eyes closed, against the chest and shoulder of her much smaller sister.

Sally crouched down and gently touched JC on the cheek.

"You still with us, JC?"

The aquanaut smiled wearily. "Yeah. You're still stuck with me, Sal."

Sally looked up at Christa then down at JC, and smiled. "Yeah, I am. But that's okay. I've gotten used to you." She reached down to put an arm around JC's back and shoulders, sliding her sister's good arm around her own neck. "Let's get you up off of Christa here and into the sickbay on Thunderbird Two for the trip home." Christa did her part by pushing up on her sister's back.

JC looked at Sally in surprise. "No hospital?"

"No hospital. Base's orders," Sally said, not able to quite keep the sourness from her voice. She would follow their father's orders, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Thanks, Sal," JC said gratefully as she stood, talking wobbly steps that became steadier as they made their way to the green cargo carrier.

"Any idea who attacked you?" Christa asked as she supported JC on the opposite side, taking care to hold the injured arm in a relatively comfortable position.

"I didn't know at first, but when Sally arrived, and he put down the cricket bat he was using, he tried using his eyes on me."

"So, it was the guy with the weird yellow eyes?"

"Yeah. Him." JC turned to Sally. "How'd you know I was in trouble?

"Besides the fact that the victims came running out of the building like the devil himself was chasing them?" Christa asked wryly.

"Yeah."

"Mae." Sally explained as they entered the pod. Christa let go of her sister to unlock the keypad that would bring the main body of Thunderbird Two down over the garage-type structure. The Firefly and the Fire Tender both stood within, unused.

"You didn't cut off communications with her after you told her to relay instructions to the vulcanologists. She heard you shout."

"Oh!"

JC groaned as they entered the lift that would take them up to the command level. It was cramped with the three of them in there, but neither Christa nor Sally would give place to the other in supporting their sister. The lift rose and turned as it did so that they were facing in the opposite direction when they reached the command deck level. The two older women walked JC over to the small sickbay and sat her down on a bunk. Christa looked up at Sally.

"You'd better pack up Mobile Control. I can take this from here."

"Let me help you get her heat suit off and then I'll go."

"Okay."

The two women worked together to divest their sister of the heat suit and her uniform top as well. Sally gasped, a hissing intake of breath, as she saw JC's badly bruised shoulder.

"I think it's dislocated, JC," Christa said sympathetically. "We'll have to let Brains put it back in its socket." She prepared a hypospray of anesthetic and shot it into her sister's shoulder before she could protest. Then she began to bind the shoulder and arm tightly to JC's chest so it wouldn't move any more.

"I'm going now. See you back at base," Sally said as she prepared to leave. JC shot her a small salute and a wan smile.

"Thanks for pulling my fat out of the fire."

"Hey, what are sisters for?" Sally returned the salute and the smile and was gone.

"Lay back now and let me strap you in," Christa ordered softly, guiding JC back onto the bunk.

"Aww, can't I come up front and watch you fly this thing again?" JC quipped.

"No," Christa replied in a no-nonsense tone.

"Phooey. You're no fun," JC grumbled, putting on a mock pout.

"You must be feeling better if you're joking around with me," Christa commented as she finished strapping JC into the safely straps.

"Nah. Just trying to bring some levity to what could have been a dire situation," JC said. She yawned, then looked at Christa with suspicion. "Hey, you didn't put a sedative in that hypospray, did you?"

Christa smiled. "Why yes, I did. Figured it would be easier on Brains if you were already out when your shoulder was fixed."

"No fair!" JC groused. She yawned again. Christa just laughed and left her sister where she was, knowing she was safe.

When Christa was gone, JC moved her telecomm up to her face. "JC to Thunderbird Five, come in, Mae."

"Thunderbird Five here. How're you doing. JC?" Mae's smooth forehead was creased with worry.

"I'm going to be okay, Mae," JC assured her. She yawned again, widely. "Thanks for hearing me when I yelled and telling Sal. I owe you one."

"You're welcome," Mae's face smoothed out and she smiled her beautiful smile. She shook a finger at her sister. "Don't you think that I won't forget you owe me."

"Never." JC knew Mae wouldn't; her blonde sister was unafraid to call in favors when she needed to. She yawned once more.

"Christa pulled a fast one on me and put a sedative in my pain-killer, so I'll probably conk out any minute. I just wanted to say thanks. That's all."

"Well, then. Close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll talk to you later and see you soon."

"Right, Mae."

"Sweet dreams, JC."

Mae's picture winked out but JC didn't notice. She was already asleep.


	4. Is JC Okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, the spotlight is on **Sally Ride,** America's first woman in space. She was a nationally ranked tennis player, but she decided that science and college were more important than a tennis career. On an impulse, she applied for NASA's astronaut training program in 1978. She was one of six women chosen from the thirty-five who applied. Sally became a member of the space shuttle's seventh mission in 1983, thus becoming America's first female astronaut to actually fly into space. She flew on the thirteenth mission of space shuttle Challenger and was training for a third flight when the Challenger exploded in 1986. When she left NASA in 1987, she taught at Stanford and the University of California in San Diego.

Christa finished backing up Thunderbird Two into the hangar, lining up the pod precisely with the others. She had done it so often that it was almost second nature, but still, she took pride in doing it right. She always cringed when one of the other girls had to fly her baby; they never seemed to be as picky about parking her as Christa was.

She toggled the switch to lift the main chassis up and away from the pod, and turned towards the back of the control cabin. She knew what she would hear and see because it was this way every time one of them came back injured. There was a hiss of a port sliding open, then the passenger elevator slipped into place carrying Brains and... Daddy. He always came to the sickbay if one of them got hurt, and he was the one to carry or support them up to the sickroom.

"Welcome home, Christa," Jeff said, taking a moment to embrace his second oldest. Even as a woman, Christa still loved getting hugs from her father; at her petite size he could fully envelop her in his arms. He held her for a moment, kissed her on the forehead, then drew back and looked at her keenly.

"How's Jerrie?"

Christa led the way back to the sickbay. "I think she's got a dislocated shoulder, Dad, Brains. I bound it close to her chest and gave her a local anesthetic and a sedative. Figured she'd be easier to work on if she was already out."

Jeff stepped up to the bunk and gently stroked a lock of JC's short hair off of her forehead. "You had a good idea, there, Christa. Jerrie hates being fussed over." He turned to look at Brains, who was taking on the role of family medic. "Brains, let's get her up to the sick room and then you can assess the shoulder and do what needs doing."

"Y-Yes, sir," the scientist said. "Do you want, uh, a stretcher, Mr. Tracy?"

"That would be a good idea. Christa and I can transfer Jerrie to an antigravity stretcher. Why don't you go ahead and get the surgery area prepared? I know that Ruby and Val are busy with the sick room."

"Yes, M-Mr. Tracy." The engineer turned and left, using the passenger elevator.

Christa opened up an antigravity stretcher and positioned it between Jeff and JC's bunk. Jeff reached across with his strong arms and lifted JC gently, sliding her over to the stretcher. Then the two of them strapped her down for the ride back to the Villa. They guided the stretcher out to the command cockpit and waited for the return of the passenger elevator. Christa knew that her father would take JC up in the elevator by himself; there really was barely enough room for the stretcher, but he always managed to squeeze in with it.

"When you're showered and cleaned up, come to the lounge and we'll debrief," Jeff told her. "I'll get Jerrie's version from her when she wakes up." He paused. "Do you have any idea what happened there? Mae was rather upset, and therefore not exactly coherent."

"JC said that it was the guy with the yellow eyes," Christa told him. "He was waiting for her, or whoever we sent, I suppose."

Jeff nodded, then the passenger elevator arrived. They moved the stretcher onto it and Jeff crammed himself into a corner near JC's feet.

"See you in a little bit, Christa."

Christa waved as the elevator shot out of sight. Then she put her arms around herself and shivered. It had just occurred to her that _she_ might have been the one under attack by their most hated enemy. And she was not quite sure she would have come out of it as well as JC had.

In the sickroom, Valentina helped her grandmother set up the diagnostic bed for JC's arrival. Brains entered the room and, without a word, passed through to the treatment room and surgery next door. Val noticed and stopped what she was doing to follow the family medic.

"Brains?"

"Y-Yes, Val?"

"Is JC going to be okay?" Val's voice quavered. Of all of her sisters, Val was closest to JC. They were born close together and had grown up together, getting into and out of scrapes all of their lives.

Brains turned, looking at the youngest Tracy keenly. "C-Christa thinks her, uh, shoulder is d-dislocated. It should b-be simple to pop back into its socket."

"No concussion or anything?" Val asked again, concern in her blue eyes.

"N-Not to my knowledge," Brains answered. "I'll t-tell you if there's anything more."

"Okay, Brains. Thanks."

Val turned away and rejoined her grandmother, sighing.

"Don't you worry about Jerrie," Ruby Mae said to her favorite granddaughter. "She's always been a scrappy one."

Tin-Tin entered the room, sweeping it with a glance. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes," Ruby said, adding one more plumping pat to the pillow. Tin-Tin nodded, and went to join Brains in the treatment room.

The door swished open again and Jeff came in, skillfully maneuvering the stretcher through the portal and into the treatment room. Val paled and tried to follow the stretcher into the treatment room, but the door slid shut in her face.

"Nana, her eyes were closed. Brains said she didn't have a concussion...."

"She didn't. She doesn't. Christa sedated her." Val turned to see Sally enter the room, freshly showered and dressed in shorts, her wet dark hair gleaming. The oldest Tracy daughter took one of the seats in the sick room and crossed her trim legs at the knee, studying her fingernails in a nervous gesture that Val knew and understood. In a few moments, they were joined by an equally squeaky clean Christa, whose long chestnut hair was wrapped up in a towel.

"Any news?" she asked, breathless. Val could have sworn she'd run all the way from her quarters.

"No, but they've only been in there a few minutes...." An insistent beeping interrupted Val's explanation. She turned on her telecomm to see the pale and worried face of Mae.

"Another country heard from," Christa muttered. Val shot her an irritated look.

"Well, well, the gang's all here," Sally said with a small, wry smile.

"Is JC okay?" Mae asked, sounding as if she were on the verge of tears.

"We don't know yet, Mae darling." Grandma Ruby had taken hold of Val's arm so she could calm and comfort her namesake. "They've only been in the treatment room for a few minutes. As soon as we know something... wait, they're coming out right now."

Brains led the processional from the treatment room. Ruby stood aside as the scientist set the auto-nurse for JC's particular vital signs. Tin-Tin and Jeff came out with the stretcher and lined it up next to the bed. At Brains's nod, they carefully transferred the patient from the floating gurney to the more comfortable mattress. JC was beginning to stir as Ruby moved in to pull the sheet and blanket up, covering JC to the shoulders.

"Mmmmm." JC's amber eyes opened and she blinked, squinting. Her eyes roamed around a bit until they lighted on Jeff's now smiling face.

"Hello there, Jerrie," he said softly.

"Uhh, hi, Daddy. Please tell Christa never to do that to me again."

"Sorry, Ducks," Jeff said, using his old pet name for his aquatic daughter. "I agree with her this time. You were a whole lot easier to handle unconscious."

JC's face took on a sleepily disgusted grimace. "Might've known you'd take her side."

Jeff laughed, and the tension that had been dissipating now disappeared entirely. The girls began to smile again. "Brains, why don't you explain what your examination turned up. Tell everyone at once so you won't have to repeat yourself."

The engineer-cum-doctor shifted from foot to foot, then spoke. "J-Jerrie's shoulder is merely, uh, bruised. The force of the b-blow must have stunned a nerve in her upper, uh, arm, causing a temporary numbness and loss of motor function. I, uh, expect a full recovery in a few d-days."

"No dislocation then," Christa asked.

"N-No, none."

"Did you hear all that, Mae dear?" Ruby had taken Val's arm again. "Now, Jerrie is going to be all right. So you can calm down now."

"I want to talk to JC, Nana," Mae insisted. Ruby unfastened Val's wrist telecomm and took it to JC, holding it so that both girls could see each other easily.

"Hey, JC."

"Hey, Mae. Thanks for hearing me shout and telling Sally. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't."

"You're welcome, JC. What are sisters for, anyway?" Mae frowned slightly. "You know something? You already told me that--and you still look sleepy."

"I am still groggy. Christa pulled a fast one and sedated me."

"You told me that, too. I think it was a good idea."

"Not you, too! Is everyone conspiring against me?" JC asked facetiously. She yawned and blinked again.

"You sleep it off and we can talk later. I'll be home soon, you know." Val groaned and JC shot her an amused look.

"Yeah, Mae. I know. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, signing off now. Bye-bye!" The watch face went blank, and Ruby handed it back to Val.

Jeff looked around. "Mae has the right idea. Let's let Jerrie sleep off the rest of the sedative." He turned his attention to his fourth child. "I'll be in later with a tray and we can debrief then." Jeff leaned over and kissed JC on the forehead, which made her give her father a slightly embarrassed look that said, "Daaaaad!" as plain as words could.

"That's our JC. Just hates to be fussed over," Christa said as she came up and gave her sister's hand a little squeeze before turning to leave. Sally clasped hands with JC.

"See you later, gator."

"Yeah, later."

Jeff followed his two oldest from the room, a hand on Sally's shoulder. Tin- Tin gave JC a high-wattage smile, then a wave and left as well. Brains checked the auto-nurse readouts and nodded to JC before going back into the treatment room to clean up.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, Jayce. I'd hate to go back up to the tin can with you in the hospital or something," Val said, sighing.

"Hey, I'm glad I'm home and not in any... stinking... hospital," JC replied, ever mindful of her prim grandmother standing nearby. That same grandmother fussed with the covers some more, then kissed JC on the cheek.

"You get your rest, Jerrie dear. I'll be back later to check on you." She began to herd Val out of the room. "Now, come along, Valentina. We have to start packing up the provisions for you to take with you up to the space station." Val looked back at JC and rolled her eyes, and JC returned the gesture with a grin.

Brains came out of the treatment room and approached Jerrie's bed. "I-I want you here for at least twelve hours of, uh, observation. U-Understood?"

"Yes. I understand."

"G-Good." The scientist turned and left the room, turning out the lights on the way.

JC turned onto her side, away from her bruised shoulder. The maneuver was painless; Brains had shot her full of analgesic again. She snuggled down into the clean-smelling pillow and fell asleep to the rhythm of her own heartbeat.


	5. Preparing For A Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spotlight this time on **Christa McAuliffe** , the first teacher in space. She was a junior high school teacher who taught history, social studies, and civics and beat out over 11,500 applicants for the privilege of being the first teacher in space. She was scheduled to teach two lessons from space shuttle _Challenger,_ but 73 seconds into liftoff, the shuttle exploded, right before the horrified eyes of millions of schoolchildren who were watching on television. Her alma mater, Framingham State College, in Framingham, Massachusetts, has established an educational center in her honor, the McAuliffe/Challenger Center.

"Here, Valentina. Take these cans of fruit," Ruby told her granddaughter.

Val grimaced, but did as she was told, piling the peaches in light sauce into a box destined for Thunderbird Five.

The youngest Tracy was blonde, a golden blonde whose long, wavy hair was a few shades darker than her older sister's and curled in tiny wisps around her face. Her face, still youthful in the cheekbones, usually held either a cocky grin that brought out her rosy cheeks or a sullen expression that, coupled with her full red lips, made her look like she was pouting. She had a strong chin, dimpled like her sister Sally's, and the same fair skin as her sister Christa. She was pretty, and knew it, and liked wearing the very latest fashions. Valentina's mood swings were legendary about the house, and she was possessed of both a stubborn streak that rivaled JC's and a temper to match her father's.

Ruby was petite, with gray hair piled high on her head and wearing a dark dress trimmed with lace and fastened at the neck with a cameo broach. She was a very old-fashioned lady, one who had prided herself on raising her daughter, Lucille, to be a lady, too. A lady that rough-around-the-edges test pilot and astronaut Jeff Tracy took, and married, and turned into a woman. Ruby always thought that Lucille bemoaned the loss of her gentility, but in reality, her daughter found the life of a wife and mother to be much more satisfying than her mother's idea of propriety had ever been. Still, her ideas of what made a "lady" kept her granddaughters on their toes finding ways to stick to them in her presence while circumventing them outside of it.

"I have prepared some bread, Miss Valentina," came a soft voice from behind them. "It is stored in the cryocooler." The family retainer, Kyrano, came up behind the two women. The mild-mannered Asian was the mainstay of the household, cooking, cleaning, lending a listening ear to Jeff, and generally making sure that the Tracy family were as comfortable as possible in their tropical paradise. He was a widower and served the family in gratitude for Jeff saving his life and the life of his only child, Tin-Tin. Ruby helped him in the kitchen, baking her famous apple pies and chocolate cake for all and sundry.

"Thank you, Kyrano," Val said as the retainer put the bulky cooler on the anti-gravity float they would use to move the food to Thunderbird Three. This was the most tedious part of preparation to go up to the station. She had to anticipate her needs for a month and pack accordingly. Not that Daddy begrudged an emergency run; when there had been a power drain and the cryostorage units had all failed, he sent Thunderbird Three up, full of foodstuffs to replace the moldy bread and ruined meals that Val was staring at. That had been the month when Val had to cook for herself. Usually, Kyrano set aside a portion of each meal eaten during the month, flash froze it, and sent it up to be easily reheated. But all of those delicious, pre-cooked lunches and dinners had thawed and spoiled. Sally and Brains had both had a hard time helping Val clean the mess up for disposal back on Earth. Brains, as it turned out, had a particularly weak stomach.

"Valentina?" Grandma Ruby's voice startled her. "I think we're ready to load this up. Kyrano, I'll get dinner started."

"Yes, Mrs. Griffith."

"Yes, Nana," Val said. She activated the anti-gravity unit and accompanied Kyrano as he took the float down to Thunderbird Three's silo for loading.

Two hours later saw the family sitting around the table, eating dinner. The meal was quieter than usual due to JC's absence.

"So, Sally. You didn't get to see this guy's face, did you?" Jeff asked, just before biting into a stalk of fresh asparagus.

"No, Dad. The impression I got was of dark skin, like he was an Arab or a Fijian, and big, bushy eyebrows. A mop of dark hair, too. He might have had a mustache, but I'm not sure. I was concentrating more on hauling JC's butt out of there."

"Sally!" Ruby protested. "That's not exactly a ladylike way to put it."

Sally blushed red and looked properly abashed. "I'm sorry, Nana. It's the Air Force talking again."

"It's _always_ the Air Force talking when you say something uncouth," Valentina shot back.

"Please pass the vegetables," Tin-Tin asked, trying to defuse the situation.

Jeff went on as if the little altercation had never happened. "You girls have seen this guy with the eyes as a red-head, a blond, bald, dark-haired, white-haired, with and without facial hair, with any variety of skin colorations. The only common denominator seems to be bushy eyebrows and the glowing eyes. Could we be dealing with some kind of secret society? More than one person with this strange power over the mind?"

"I hope not, Dad. I'd much rather it be one or two guys with a variety of disguises than a whole group of them!" Christa commented. "That way, if we ever manage to catch one, we won't have to deal with a mob coming after us for revenge!"

"Amen to that!" Sally responded, sipping her wine.

Kyrano chose that moment to come out with a seven-layer chocolate cake with fudge icing. "Would anyone like dessert?"

"Ooh. Artifical seratonin!" Christa quipped, her eyes wide. "Hey, Val, you'd better get some while the getting's good. You won't see this for another four weeks."

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny, Christa," Val groused. Internally though, she felt smug. She knew very well that Ruby had taken the time to bake and cut up an entire cake for her and flash-freeze it for later consumption.

"Cut a piece for Jerrie and one for me, please, Kyrano. I'll take that tray down to her now," Jeff said as he wiped his mouth on his napkin and rose from the table. Kyrano cut sizable pieces and set them on plates, passing them around and saving two of the largest for Jeff and JC. He took them back into the kitchen with Jeff following close on his heels.

* * *

In the sick room, Jeff took a moment to gaze at his sleeping fourth child. He shook his head.

_She is such a fighter. Always scrapping with her sisters, arguing with me. She fought her way back from that hydrofoil accident. In a way, I'm glad it was her down there today and not Christa. Christa thinks she's tough, and she tries hard, but Jerrie? Jerrie **is** tough._

He leaned over to brush the hair away from JC's eyes and called softly, "Jerrie, it's time for dinner. Wake up, Ducks."

JC stirred and stretched, wincing and hissing as the motion reminded her that, yes, she was injured. She rubbed the bruised shoulder lightly, then reached for the bed controls and raised herself to a sitting position.

"Hi, Dad," she said. "What's for supper?"

"London broil with rice pilaf and fresh asparagus. A garden salad, and for dessert, seven-layer chocolate cake."

"Sounds good."

Jeff set the tray on the bed table and maneuvered it over her lap. She took a sip of tea, and dug in. He remained silent as she ate and she gave him a sidewise look.

"No questions?"

"Yes. Over dessert."

Jerrie nodded and applied herself to her dinner again. Jeff retrieved an electronic notepad and began to go through the notes from his debriefing with Sally, Christa, and Mae, who had joined them via portrait communicator. Kyrano came in quietly with coffee for the two, and a cup of tea for himself.

Jeff grinned ruefully. "I knew I forgot something."

"Indeed," Kyrano said with a soft smile. He served the coffee and then pulled up a chair. "Do you mind if I listen in? I feel there is something I could contribute, but I do not know exactly what it is. Perhaps hearing Miss Jerrie's account of the rescue will prod my memory."

"Be my guest, Kyrano," Jeff replied, surprised at the retainer's request.

"Thank you," he answered simply as he sat down.

JC finished her meal, sighed with contentment, then pulled her cake towards her. She glanced over at her father. "Now, where do you want me to start?"

"Start from the arrival in Thunderbird Two."

JC succinctly recounted each detail of the rescue that she could remember from the time she went down in the rescue capsule until she was safe on Thunderbird Two.

"So, he didn't say anything to you?"

"No, Dad. Nothing. Just attacked out of the blue."

"And you say he looked Polynesian?"

"Yeah, his skin was that nice brown color, the café au lait tone."

"All of his skin? What was he wearing?"

"All that I could see. He was wearing a one-piece coverall in some grey color, I think." She gave her father a rueful smile. "I really didn't notice his clothes, Dad. That cricket bat had most of my attention."

"I understand. But why a cricket bat?"

"I dunno. Maybe it was handy?"

"I doubt it. He, or they, always seem to come prepared." Jeff sighed, then smiled at JC. "You get some rest, Ducks...." He was interrupted by the arrival of Val, Sally, and Christa.

"I wanted to say goodbye to JC, Daddy. Sally's ready to take me up to the space station," Val said.

"Good idea, girls. I'll go up to the lounge right now. Kyrano?" Jeff smiled at JC and put his hand to her face, then he and the retainer left together.

Val embraced JC, being careful of the bruised shoulder. "I'll call you later, Jayce" she told her sister.

"If I don't call you first."

Sally gave JC a jaunty wave as she and Val departed. Christa took Jeff's place in the chair.

"So, did Daddy grill you?"

"Some. How was your debriefing?"

"It went smoothly if you don't count Mae's state of mind." Christa rolled her eyes. "I'll be glad when she's back home and Nana can take her in hand."

"She probably feels the same way," JC quipped and the two young women giggled together.

* * *

Jeff made his way back to the lounge and sat down behind his desk. Kyrano joined him in the room, sitting in one of the chairs close to the command center. Sally came up, and sat down on the green couch that would take her and Val down into the bowels of the Island and out to Thunderbird Three's silo. Jeff frowned.

"Where's Val?"

Sally rolled her eyes. "Saying her 'goodbyes' to Tin-Tin."

With a long-suffering sigh, Jeff activated his telecomm watch. "Valentina Tereshkova Tracy, get your ass up here!" He was gratified to hear a yelp of surprise and seconds later, Val entered the room, rearranging her clothes as she did. Sally shook her head when she saw her sister's state of dishevelment. Jeff got up to embrace his daughters one after the other, then the younger joined the elder on the couch and Jeff pressed a button. As the sofa and its occupants sank out of sight, he called, "Be careful, girls. Let me know when you arrive."

"F-A-B, Dad!" Sally's promise echoed up from the long vertical tunnel.

The lift took them down to the railroad car, which brought them to the rocket ship's silo where another hydraulic arm pushed them up into the lounge of the spacecraft, locking into place.

"I'm flying on the way up!" Val insisted loudly.

Sally shrugged. "Fine with me. I have to pilot on the way back anyway."

The two women took the small elevator to the control center, and Val expertly powered up the huge Thunderbird. Sally retrieved her uniform from the small storage closet.

"I am _not_ wearing the hat. Not on this trip," she declared, and she went into the lift to change into her uniform. By the time she was finished and had hung up her civvies, Val was ready to ask for a countdown. Sally sat down and strapped herself in.

"Thunderbird Three to base. All systems are green. T minus ten seconds and counting."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Three. T minus seven seconds and counting. Minus five... four... three... two... one."

The trio of engines beneath Thunderbird Three's fuselage roared into life. The round interior hatch on the ceiling of the silo irised open. The exterior doors slid apart. Slowly, but gaining speed with each passing nanosecond, Thunderbird Three pushed upwards and out of its hangar, through the center of the Round House, and finally burst into the open sky. Within moments, the red rocket ship was a tiny speck to the two men who stood on the balcony watching the launch.

"That never ceases to send chills up my spine," Jeff said with a grin. "One of these days, I'm going to take Val or Mae up to Thunderbird Five myself and get back into space."

Kyrano smiled. "You will surprise your daughters with your skill."

The two men stood silent for a moment, then Jeff turned to Kyrano, a serious expression on his face.

"So, did our session with Jerrie give you any clues about who might be attacking us?"

Kyrano shook his head. "No. Other than the fact that I am sure I know something. But it is buried. There is a key to unlock it, but I have yet to find that key." He paused. "I will say one thing. The bushy eyebrows seem to be a common denominator. Every one of these people has had them. They seem to be a lure to the eye."

"Good point, Kyrano. I'll make sure that the girls keep it in mind as an identifying marker for suspicious people." Jeff sighed. "I wish we knew more about this character or these characters. He, or they, keep turning up at rescues, either attacking our personnel or trying to photograph our craft. We've been able to stop him so far, but how much more will it take to stop him for good? How many times will my girls be hurt before we can catch him or them? The business of rescue is dangerous enough as it is."

"Do you regret making this dream of yours a reality, Mr. Tracy?" Kyrano asked seriously. "Do you regret involving your daughters?"

"Sometimes I do, Kyrano. But they seemed so eager to sign aboard. Even Mae seemed to be thrilled by the scope of it all." Jeff shook his head. "Sometimes I do regret bringing them into my dream. And sometimes I wonder what like would be like if I'd had five sons."

* * *

"Did you bring enough toilet paper?"

"Yes, Sal."

"Enough tissues?"

"Yes, Sal."

"Enough...."

"YES, SAL!" Valentina's exasperated shout brought a bored Sally's teasing session to an end.

"I went through the whole check list. I'm not an idiot, you know."

Sally's right eyebrow climbed, and one side of her mouth quirked upwards as if to say, "Really?" though she said nothing. Val did not miss the expression, and glowered at her older sister, eyes narrowing. Having had her fun, Sally sat back and stretched langorously.

"I'm glad you have enough of everything. I don't care to make an emergency run to Thunderbird Five simply because you forgot to pack trash bags."

Val blinked, suddenly silent. Sally frowned, leaning forward to see her sister's expression. Val looked puzzled. Sally hit her forehead with the heel of her hand and groaned. "Don't tell me that you forgot trash bags!"

"Okay, I won't," Val replied with a sudden cat-like smile. "Because I didn't." She turned to Sally. "Gotcha."

Sally sat back, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. _Can't believe I fell for it._  
  
"Approaching Thunderbird Five," Valentina remarked in a professional voice. "Thunderbird Three to Thunderbird Five. ETA, five minutes."

There was no response. Now it was Val's turn to roll her eyes. "Thunderbird Three to Mae. Come in, Mae."

Still no answer. Val frowned, then looked over at Sally. "Do you suppose something's wrong?"

Sally shook her head. "I doubt it. She's probably got her music turned up too loud to hear us. Try your telecomm."

Val activated the wrist communicator and called into it. "Val to Mae. Come in, Mae." Val turned a worried look to her oldest sister. "No go."

Sally activated her own telecomm and pushed a different button, then waited. And waited. A frown creased her brow.

"Hmmm."

"What?"

"She's not responding to the vibratory alert."

"Do you suppose she could be hurt or something?"

Sally gave her youngest sister a long, searching look. "This thing with JC has really got you spooked, hasn't it?"

Val glanced down, then met her sister's eyes, blue to blue. "Well, yeah. Whoever this guy is, he keeps showing up and he's been getting more and more violent. What if it had been Christa? Or Mae? Neither of them are the combatants that you and JC are. Things could have been much worse."

Sally stood and put a comforting arm around Val's shoulders. "I know. It scares me, too. I guess that what we've got to do is find this guy or guys and put them out of business." She drew her sister's attention to the plasma screen. "Heads up. Docking in one minute."

"Thanks, Sal." Sally nodded and sat back down, strapping herself in, just in case. Val's hands flew over the controls; she was a practiced hand at docking and could do it in her sleep, but somehow this time she wanted to take special care. Sally's words had put her in an alert mode, one that made her very aware of her surroundings and the dangers that could be lurking anywhere around her, even in space.

Thunderbird Three's nose slipped into the docking area, buried to the white ring, which made a seal against the vacuum of space.

"Thunderbird Five from Thunderbird Three, we have docked. Turn on the air, Mae." Still there was silence. Val turned to Sally. "I think we should tell Daddy."

"Not yet. Let's find out what's going on inside first." Sally stepped to the console and spoke into the microphone. "Priority override on life-support systems, SRT 10101." A voice that sounded uncannily like Brains responded, "Acknowledged. Priority override initiated."

The sensors on Thunderbird Three began to detect the presence of air within the docking port. Within minutes, the indicator on the control panel went green, and Val let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.

"Come on. Let's go see what's up with Miss Mae," Sally said. "Then we can unload this puppy."

They climbed into the airlock, and with the press of a button, the gravity within and without matched and the two women floated gently within. The portal was at a ninety-degree angle from what it usually was when the spaceship stood upright, so leaving the ship in zero-g was much easier on the passengers. Not to mention the fact that unloading would be much smoother with the boxes floating, weightless.

Valentina was an old hand at maneuvering around in zero-g, and Sally wasn't far behind. With a gentle push off of Thunderbird Three's hull, they both floated over to the rails that led down to the airlock and, using the rails, they propelled themselves down to the closed port. Val put her hand up to the handprint scanner, and the outer doors slid open. The two women entered the small chamber, and Sally's handprint closed the hatch. Slowly the gravity between the doors increased, lowering the women gently to the floor. When the atmosphere within and without were the same, Sally put her hand up to the scanner again and the inner entry opened. They stepped into the living quarters level of the space station where Mae, Val, Sally, and Brains had each claimed one of the six small bedrooms.

"Do you feel it?" Sally asked.

Val nodded. The thumping of the bass from the superb sound system on the command level above them could be felt in the deck plates beneath their feet.

"I'm surprised we could dock safely the way she's shaking the station," Val said in disgust as they took the lift to the upper floor. The noise was louder there, even though there was another airlock between the elevator and the main monitoring room. Sally's lip curled; she had never liked the old disco tunes that Mae considered to be high art in music.

The airlock door slid open, and there, dancing barefoot in the middle of the monitor room, dressed in her uniform top and sash over a sheer, flowing skirt, was Mae. She was the tallest and slimmest of all the Tracy girls, and her dancing just accentuated the litheness of her body. Christa's petiteness made her look fragile, and so in the same way did Mae's height and slenderness. She twirled and swayed, her eyes closed, her ears open to nothing but the rhythm of the bass.

Val put her hands over her ears and shouted Mae's name, but to no avail. Sally took a more direct approach; she hustled over to the sound system and with the flick of a switch, turned it off, catching Val in mid-call. Both blondes looked startled at the sudden silence, glancing around to see what had happened. Mae caught sight of Sally and broke into a big grin.

"Sally!" she squealed, dashing over to her older sister and nearly bowling her over with a fervent embrace. "It's so good to see you!!" She took Sally's hands and jumped up and down.

"It's good to see you, too, Mae," Sally said, smiling wryly and returning the embrace. Val cleared her throat.

"Val!" Mae screamed, running over to hug Valentina. "Oh, I'm _really_ glad to see _you_! That means I get to go home!"

"Hi, Mae," Val responded with a lukewarm tone. "Weren't you expecting us?"

Mae blinked. "Well, yes, I suppose I was, but not for another day or two. Maybe three. Oh, I'm so glad you're here!!"

"Have you had dinner yet, Mae?" Sally asked. She was concerned because, to her eye, Mae looked thinner than ever.

"Oh, no. No dinner. Didn't see anything that appealed to me."

Val and Sally exchanged glances. The younger woman took off for the galley to see how many meals were left in the cryo-freezers. It wouldn't be the first time that Mae had skipped meals. Sally put a friendly arm around her taller sister.

"Well, I'm glad you haven't because Kyrano sent up some lovely London broil with rice and vegetables and a big slice of chocolate cake and you know how disappointed he'd be if you didn't eat every bite."

"Will you and Val eat with me?" Mae asked, a pleading note to her tone. "I hate eating alone."

Sally's face softened and she gave Mae a comforting smile. "Sure, Mae. We'll eat with you. Let's get that meal in here and eat then we can unload the rest of Thunderbird Three."

"Then we'll go home?"

"Yes, Mae. Then we'll go home."

Between cajoling Mae to eat, unloading Three's cargo, and helping Val deal with everything they had brought, it was four hours before Sally could sit before the controls in the red rocket, ready to leave the station, and her littlest sister, behind. During that time, Val had called base and confirmed their arrival, and Jeff had called once during the unloading process to find out how much longer it would take.

"It's going to take another hour at least, base. We brought up the fresh water tanks and are having trouble making the connections to drain the current ones," Sally informed her father. "We'll let you know when we're on our way back." Jeff nodded and closed communications.

Sally sipped hot coffee from her insulated cup. Val had made her a pot of java as they got ready to leave and they two had a few quiet words together before departure.

"Take care of JC, okay? I know you'll look out for Mae and Christa, but JC sometimes needs it more than they do," Val said fervently, suddenly sounding older than her 21 years.

"I will, Val. I always do."

"And be extra careful yourself. This guy who's been after us has an agenda that I don't like, even though I don't know exactly what it is."

Sally smiled, and hugged Val. "I will be. And I agree with you. Don't go stir crazy up here, kid, okay?"

"Don't call me 'kid'," came the predictable response. Val walked them to the lower airlock, looking bereft as she always did when she had to take her turn in Thunderbird Five. It used to tug at Sally's heart, but after awhile she had realized that it was just one way Val had of making her feel guilty about the whole situation. This time, though, Sally felt that little tug again, knowing that Val was truly worried about JC and the safety of the rest of the team.

Now Sally made the preparations for leaving Thunderbird Five. Mae was below, having taken a bunk in the crew's quarters two levels below command. She usually slept on the trip to and from the space station. Sally heard the hiss of air being withdrawn from the docking platform, the noise getting softer and softer as it was replaced with vacuum. "Thunderbird Three to Thunderbird Five and base. Releasing docking sensors and clamps. Firing reverse thrusters."

"Docking release procedures complete, Thunderbird Three. Let me know when you get home."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Five. ETA to base, 3 hours, 45 minutes."

Sally cut the reverse thrusters, used the maneuvering thrusters to turn the nose of the red rocket and fired the main engines to direct the vessel back to earth. Back home. 


	6. Some Time To Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last but not least in our spotlight is **Dr. Mae Jemison, MD** , the first black female astronaut and the first black woman to fly into space. Dr. Jemison graduated from Stanford in 1977, then attended medical school at Cornell, graduating with her Doctor of Medicine degree. While at Cornell, she traveled to Cuba, Kenya, and Thailand, providing medical care and after graduation she spent three years as a medical officer in the Peace Corps, serving in West Africa. In 1987, her application for admission to NASA's astronaut training program was accepted and when she completed the training, she was the first black female astronaut. She flew into space on September 12, 1992 as part of the Space Lab J mission, where she served as a Science Mission Specialist.

The trip to Thunderbird Five was over and done with. Both of the returning women had some time to sleep and eat a hearty lunch with a sharp-eyed Grandma Ruby keeping an eye on Mae's food intake. Now Sally wandered out to the pool, dressed for sunbathing. She found Christa lying face down on a lounger, sunning herself, the ties on her bikini top undone so as not to leave a white stripe. Mae, clad in halter top, shorts, sunglasses, and wide brimmed hat, sat reading a magazine, leaving a lounger empty between her and Christa. She burned easily and tended to take more precautions in the sun. Sally gave Mae a little wave, grinned, and briefly placed the bottom of her chilled tumbler on Christa's well-browned back.

"Hey!" Christa exclaimed, sitting up suddenly, clutching her bathing suit top to her chest. Sally laughed then stretched out in the lounger between her sisters. Her strapless two-piece showed off her already golden shoulders and midriff. She applied some UV protectant tanning gel to her arms and long legs, then adjusted her sunglasses. Christa muttered under her breath and lay back down.

JC was swimming laps, a pasttime she never tired of. Sally winced as the bruised shoulder time and time again rose above the water.

"I'm surprised that Nana let JC swim with that bad a bruise."

Christa turned her head in Sally's direction. "Do you really think Nana could actually stop JC from swimming?"

Sally thought about it a minute before replying, "No, I guess not. Nobody and nothing could stop JC from swimming. Not even that damned accident."

"Nope. Not even that. Compared to those four months in the hospital, Nana Ruby is a pushover."

The girls fell into a companionable silence, relaxing and enjoying the sun's warmth. Then Sally noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Psst, Christa. Tin-Tin alert."

"Thanks."

Christa reached back as if to tie her bikini strings when a lilting baritone said, "Here, let me help you with that, Christa."

Skilled hands tied both the string across the back and the one around the neck below the long French braid, pausing to linger briefly between the shoulder blades. Christa rolled over and smiled.

"Thanks, Tin-Tin."

The young Malaysian flashed his white smile. He turned to Sally. "Do you need a refill on your lemonade, Sal?"

"No, but thanks for asking." Sally watched as the handsome, bronzed, dark-haired man continued his saunter down to the other side of Mae, where he sat on a deck chair, leaning forward, speaking to the blonde quietly. Mae smiled at him and laughed, and after a few minutes he helped her to her feet and they headed back to the Villa, hand in hand.

"What a flirt he is!" Christa said, as soon as they were out of earshot. She undid her bikini strings again. "I wonder if Mae knows about Val and her little fling with Tin-Tin?"

"Don't count Mae out when it comes to romance," Sally warned. "Mae is very much aware of Val's interest. Val, however, knows nothing about Tin-Tin two-timing her with Mae."

"Ohhhhh!" Christa said, nodding. "Now I understand."

"Yeesss," Sally replied, drawing out the syllable. "Mae says he has a thing for blondes. She doesn't care if he's seeing them both. And as long as she's happy, I'm not saying a thing about it. And you'd better not either."

"I won't, Sal. At least not to Val. Mae might be okay with sharing a man, but Val? Uh-uh!"

Sally sat back and sipped her lemonade. She watched JC as she climbed to the high board and did a complicated dive, making barely a ripple in the pool as she entered the water.

Christa lay quietly for a few moments, mulling over the prospects of Mae and Val and Tin-Tin, when Sally, out of the blue asked, "Have you ever seen that old comic book character that Kyrano named Tin-Tin after?"

"No," Christa replied, "can't say that I have."

"Looks nothing like the real thing."

"Hmm."

Christa reached for her own drink and sipped some through a straw. She looked over at her sister.

"Speaking of love lives, how's Eddie?"

Sally chuckled. "He's fine. I'll be seeing him next week."

"You know he's one of Daddy's rivals," Christa warned.

"Pffft. He's not in Daddy's class and he knows it. He doesn't care either. He'd rather be small potatoes and work out in the field to meet deadlines than sit in an office all day worrying about them." Sally smiled. "I must admit that it's nice being romanced because of who you are instead of how much money your Daddy has."

"Hmm," Christa agreed. "Still, Daddy wouldn't be too happy to know that you were seeing him."

Sally sighed. "I know. But he can't expect us to stay on the Island forever! I'm sure that he'd like to be a grandfather someday."

Her eyes strayed out to JC, who was finally pulling herself out of the pool. The swimmer gave her sister a small salute, which Sally returned, then made a beeline for the hot tub that stood near the house.

"Do you know if JC has anyone on a string?" Sally asked Christa.

"No, though she's been pressing Dad to let her go to some surfing competitions," Christa told her. "By the way, did I tell you that my chair settings were changed again? JC said she didn't do it...."

"Just leave it, Chris," Sally replied. "I'm not taking her down to the beach again. Next time I do, I'll be the one in the sand."

"You? Never."

Sally looked up and smiled. Brains had come out of the house and was talking to JC. She saw JC point in their general direction and the scientist came over to sit on the other side of Christa from Sally.

"H-Hi, Sally," the engineer stuttered, blue eyes peering out from behind thick lenses. Sally snorted a laugh when Christa jumped and squealed, not remembering that her bikini was untied. She grabbed it and clutched it to her chest belatedly. Sally swung her legs over and reached out to tie the strings again while Brains smiled bashfully.

"Don't do that, Brains!" Christa scolded. "You nearly frightened me to death!" _Not to mention got yourself an eyeful of skin, you schemer._  
  
"M-My apologies, Christa," Brains offered abjectly. "I came out to see if, uh, you could help me on my latest e-experiment."

Sally rolled her eyes. _Experiment, my foot. Can't the genius come up with another excuse?_

Christa glanced over her shoulder at Sally, then turned back to the mastermind behind the Thunderbirds.

"I think I could be persuaded, Brains."

The inventor's smile widened. They rose together and walked back to the house, not holding hands but talking softly to each other.

Sally waited a moment until they were inside, then sauntered over to the hot tub.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked her sister. JC swept a hand across the water, wordlessly inviting Sally in.

"Ahhhhh!" Sally sighed as she lowered herself into the bubbling hot water. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

"Mae looks thin."

Sally didn't even open her eyes. "I know. She'd been skipping meals again."

"Have you told Daddy?"

"Not yet. Hasn't been a good moment. I told Nana though."

"Ah. Good call."

"Thanks."

The girls relaxed, the sound of waves and sea birds only aiding them in their peaceful repose.

"JC?"

"Yeah?"

"What's with the surfing contests?"

JC chuckled.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yeah. I would." Sally opened a blue eye. "Got some surfer on a string?"

JC gave Sally a challenging glare. "What's it to you?"

Sally smiled slightly, and closed her eye again. "Nothing. Just curious."

There was a long pause, then JC said, "Well, snoopy Sally, for your information, I don't have a surfer on a string."

Sally spread her hands out. "Okay. It's nothing to me, really. I'm truly curious. Everyone else seems to have someone."

"Like Val and Tin-Tin."

"And you and Eddie."

"And Mae and Tin-Tin."

JC frowned at that one.

"And Brains and Christa," Sally continued.

"Ooh. What do you think that Daddy would say to _that_ relationship?"

"I think he'd approve. It would keep Brains from going much of anywhere. Unless Christa decided to leave."

"Still...."

"There's nothing wrong with it, JC. They're both adults. A fact that Daddy is going to have to wake up to very soon. About all of us."

A jet screamed overhead, the engines throttling back as it approached the Island. Both Sally and JC peered upwards to see what the jet looked like.

"Damn! Not now!" Sally reached her hand out for JC's telecomm, which was sitting on the edge of the spa. JC handed it over and the older woman activated it.

"Sally to Christa and Mae. Sally to Christa and Mae. Bitch alert. Brit bitch alert."

It took a moment or two, but then the speaker crackled with an answer.

"Christa to Sally. Message received." Christa's voice sounded husky and breathy and the response was cut off at the beginning of a low moan.

"Mae to Sally." There was a good amount of giggling and cries of "Stop it!" before Mae finished her message. "I understand." A delighted shriek was severed when Mae cut communications.

"Well, we have an idea what those two are up to, don't we?" JC said wryly. Sally sighed, then handed JC her telecomm and settled back down into the water.

JC gazed at her with amusement. "Aren't you going to go greet Her Nibs?"

"Not unless summoned."

JC thought about this for a moment, then gave a little half shrug. "Works for me," she said as she slid back into the hot tub.

* * *

In the lab, behind locked doors, Christa and Brains had just come up for air from a passionate kiss. The engineer had Christa's bikini top off in a trice and was fondling her, while Christa had returned the favor with Brains's lab coat and shirt, letting her own hands rove where they would.

"This is my favorite kind of experiment," Christa breathed, her breath hot in Brains's ear.

"Mine, too," was the husky, stutter-free response.

They paused to look into each other's eyes, and Christa reached up to remove the heavy-lensed blue-framed spectacles. Brains moved a hand to stop her.

"I won't be able to see you clearly."

Christa smiled. "You won't need to." She put the glasses carefully on one of the laboratory tables and turned to run her hands through Brains's short brown hair before kissing the full lips with passion once again.


	7. An Evening Soirée

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter shows a definite difference between Tracy boys, who like and sometimes lust after a certain IR agent, and Tracy girls, who... well, you'll find out.

"Hello, Penelope!" Jeff boomed from the top of the stairs as he trotted down to greet his guest. "It's good to see you again!"

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward pulled off her pink kid gloves and slipped them into her pink alligator handbag and unwrapped the gauzy pink kerchief from her golden hair. Jeff took her hand and kissed it.

"It's good to see you, too, Jeff. The weather is miserable in England and my sheep counter broke down so I thought I'd pay you a social call," the aristocrat said distractedly. "Parker! Be careful with the luggage!"

"I'll send Kyrano down to help," Jeff offered, watching the embattled chauffeur hauling several bags at once up to the house.

"No, that won't be necessary. Parker is more than capable of handling it." Penny looked around as if seeing the Villa for the first time. "Where are the girls? I thought they'd be here to greet me. They usually are."

"Sally just brought Mae back from Thunderbird Five, and Jerrie is recuperating from an attack during a rescue yesterday. I'm not sure what Christa's doing."

"Oh dear, I hope Jerrie will recover soon." Penelope said as they mounted the stairs to the balcony by the lounge. "And I was hoping that Valentina would be here. It seems I have just missed her."

"Yes, I'm afraid you have." Jeff was aware, as were they all, of the friendship between the youngest Tracy and the aristocrat. To Valentina, Penelope was a mentor and someone who she held in high esteem, while Penelope found in Val a mind she could mold to her own liking.

There was a brief silence as Penelope entered the lounge. She frowned at the portrait of herself, placed at an angle to the casual pictures of the Tracy daughters. "I really should ask Christa to paint a different portrait of me. That particular pose does not flatter me at all."

"Oh, I think it's a fine likeness," Jeff replied, bristling a bit at Penelope's implied criticism of Christa's artistic abilities. In fact it was a good likeness, a touch _too_ good as it showed a few of the small imperfections in Penelope's face. Jeff, however, preferred it to a touched-up portrait. It reminded him of the real woman and not an ideal.

"Hmmph. Well, if you like it, Jeff, then I shall not insist on another sitting," Penelope said with a smile for the Tracy patriarch. Kyrano entered the room, bowing.

"Your room is prepared, milady," he said quietly. "I will serve tea promptly at four. If you will accompany me?"

"Oh, thank you, Kyrano. That is very kind of you," Penelope reached up and planted a chaste kiss on Jeff's cheek. "I will return once I have freshened up."

"I look forward to it, Penny," Jeff said with a soft smile. Just then, Ruby made an appearance.

"Lady Penelope, what a pleasant surprise!" the older woman gushed, taking Penelope's hands in her own and kissing her on both cheeks. "I had no idea you were here until Sally told me on her way back from the pool." Ruby held Penelope up to her granddaughters as a standard of how a "lady" should comport herself. She was glad for Penelope's influence over Valentina and wished the Brit held the same sway over her other grandchildren. But she was _not_ happy about Penelope's obvious infatuation with her son-in-law.

"How are you, Ruby?" Penelope asked, returning the greeting. "It is such a pleasure to see you again. I am going to my room to freshen up. We can talk on the way."

"Of course," Ruby agreed as the two women left the room, arm in arm, Kyrano in their wake.

"Is the coast clear?" came a voice from the balcony. Jeff turned to see Sally standing there, a towel around her neck, her hair wet and shining.

"I suppose so, if you're avoiding Penelope today," Jeff said mildly as he sat back down behind his desk. "Though I don't understand why you would want to, Sally. She could be a good friend if you'd let her."

"No, Dad, I don't think so. She and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of matters," Sally responded. "Besides, I'm too independent minded for her taste. She likes people she can influence."

"Like me?" Jeff challenged, looking at his oldest squarely.

"Yes, in a way. But I was thinking more of Val," Sally admitted. Jeff smiled slightly. He knew his oldest to be outspoken and blunt when the occasion called for it. It had made for conflict between the sisters time and time again while they were growing up as Sally, taking her role as surrogate mother very seriously, would point out errors her sisters made without taking into consideration the method she used to point them out. He liked to think that Sally had mellowed as she had gotten older and especially after her stint in the Air Force, where ranking officers tended to use the same methods. But there _were_ times when she showed that tendency towards outspokenness which she had inherited from her grandmothers. Both of them.

"I'm going to shower and dress for dinner, Daddy," she said, coming to him and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Later, gator," Jeff quipped. Sally turned on her way into the study and grinned.

"In a while, crocodile."

Jeff chuckled and got back to chasing down more information on that potentially lucrative new proposal.

\----------------------------------

Dinner was a different affair with Penelope in attendance. Whereas usually the air was full of banter and joking and the food was passed from person-to-person, family-style, and the girls came to dinner more or less as they were, when Penelope came to visit, the table was more subdued, each person was served individually by Kyrano or Parker, and the girls dressed up. Penelope would sit at Jeff's right hand, the spot usually reserved for guests and the spot occupied by Sally when there were none. In response, Sally usually would select a spot at the other end of the table, as far away from Lady Penelope as she could get.

Jeff looked down the table at his daughters, all clustered at the opposite end of the table, chatting quietly and virtually ignoring the lovely lady who sat by his side. It saddened him because he had hoped they could find a friend in Penelope should he someday decide to make her his wife. It was a decision he had contemplated before, but he wanted to be sure that the relationship between Penelope and the girls was on solid, friendly ground before he made any move in that direction. So far, that friendly ground had not developed, at least not with the older four girls.

Christa turned to speak to him. "Daddy, we'd like to have a fire down on the beach tonight, if it's okay with you."

"Sure, Christa. I know you'll take the proper precautions," Jeff replied. He glanced over at Penelope, and had an idea. "Do you mind if Penelope and I join you? I promise I won't complain about your music."

The girls all looked at each other, caught off-guard. Finally they all looked to Sally, who nodded fractionally.

"Sure, Daddy. Come down when you feel like it," Christa replied.

Jeff beamed. "We'll be there."

After dinner, the girls met in Sally's suite. Each girl had her own suite of rooms; a living room, bedroom, bath, and a workspace for following whatever outside pursuits held her fancy. Christa's had been turned into an art studio, while Sally used hers to design aircraft. Mae's was taken over by pictures of movie and televid stars as well the fashions she designed and sewed for herself and her sisters. JC's was a photography darkroom to develop the underwater pictures she was fond of taking, while Valentina's was covered with racing memorabilia; she had once thought of becoming a NASCAR driver, but her grandmother (with Jeff's full support) had put a stop to that dream very early.

"So, what do we do now?" Christa asked. "Daddy and the pink poodle will be there to spoil our fun."

"I'm bringing the smores anyway," JC said. "Daddy will eat them even if 'her Ladyship' declines."

The girls turned to Sally, who was quietly musing in one corner, her feet up on the coffee table. Finally she brought them down and smiled, looking at each of her sisters.

"I think this might be a good time for Operation: Blackmail," she turned to Mae. "You got the goods, Mae?"

Mae smiled broadly. "Oh, yes. I've got exactly what we need. That friend of mine uploaded it the middle of last week. It's good!"

"Okay. Don't forget to bring it down to the fire."

Christa turned to Mae. "Are you sure you have copies? She's more than likely to throw away whatever you bring. Right into the fire."

Mae's smile became serene. "I have copies in more places than I can remember. Including some that neither she nor Val can get to."

The girls all chuckled. "Okay, then," Sally said. "Let's go have our beach fire."

\-----------------------

Within an hour, there was a small party in full swing on the beach. The popular group, Cass Carnaby and the Cass Carnaby Five, was blaring from a portable player and a good-sized fire crackled in a sand pit, fed by pieces of driftwood that sat outside the circle of light which the blaze gave off. JC sat on a smooth rock, leaning in with a long, 3-tined fork to roast marshmallows in the flames and build smores with plenty of chocolate bars and graham crackers. Tin-Tin was dancing with Mae, and Brains and Christa made up another dancing couple. Sally sat on the sand next to Jerrie and ate smores while watching the dancers and singing along with the music.

"Hello, Sally, Jerrie," Jeff's voice came from out of the darkness and made Sally jump. He and Penelope appeared from the shadows, the latter dressed in pink capris and a dark pink tank top with an open, light pink blouse tied at the waist.

"Hey, Dad. Hi, Penelope," Sally said amiably. "Pull up a piece of beach and join the party."

Jeff frowned briefly at the dancers, especially at Christa and Brains, then looked down at Sally with a smile, his face clearing. "Don't mind if I do," he said, sitting down. "Come on, Penny. Take a seat."

"Jeff, I thought I'd asked you to bring a blanket," Penelope reminded him. "Would you please go back to the Villa and get one?"

Jeff sighed inaudibly, and got back on his feet. "Of course, Penny. I'll be right back." He trotted off into the dark again. Sally gave JC a look, and the younger woman nodded slightly.

"Hey, Tin-Tin! We forgot the cooler of drinks. Can you go get it for us? I think it's on the patio by the pool," JC called over the music. The dancers stopped, and Tin-Tin indicated he would go. Christa whispered in Brains's ear and the engineer nodded, then caught up with the Malaysian, indicating a desire to help. Once they were out of earshot, Penelope turned off the music.

"Good. Now we can all have a little girl-talk," she said, standing before the fire with her arms crossed. "I'm sure that you've all noticed the attention that your father's been paying to me lately."

"No, I can't say that I have," Sally said coolly. The other girls said nothing. JC continued to make smores and offer them to her sisters, who accepted the treats.

Penelope looked down her nose at the oldest Tracy girl. "Well, he has been. So much so that I have a feeling he's going to ask me to marry him soon." She paused, waiting for a reply, and when there was none, she continued. "And since that is likely to happen, I'd like to make some issues straight between us."

"I don't think it's likely that you and Daddy will be getting married," Mae interrupted, licking her fingers free of chocolate.

"Oh? What makes you say that, Mae?" Penelope asked coldly.

"Well, I doubt he'd want to marry you after seeing what you've been doing with Francy," Mae replied. She handed over a small envelope. Penelope began to look through the contents. "A photographer I know saw you and Francy on one of the topless beaches along the Riviera. He knew that Francy and I had been... more than friends once upon a time, and took those to show me who Francy was hanging around with these days. He had no idea that it was a... family friend."

Penelope's face turned bright pink as she thumbed through the incriminating photos. The other girls stared at Mae. Up until now they'd had no idea what "the goods" consisted of. _Gotta get Mae to show us what she has!_ Sally thought as she turned her attention back to the aristocrat. Penelope finished going through the packet and she looked up at the Tracy girls with narrowed eyes.

"So, you think you can blackmail me, eh? To do what?"

"To step out of our father's life," Sally said solemnly.

"Oh really? Have you forgotten that he _needs_ me? That _I_ am his top agent in International Rescue? Have you forgotten that, Miz Sally Ride Tracy?" Penelope spat.

"You might not be even that if Daddy sees those photos," JC said blandly. The hair on the back of Sally's neck went up; when JC used that tone of voice, it meant that she'd reached the end of her tether and was ready to do battle.

"Well, he's not going to see them, now is he?" Penelope scoffed. She threw the packet into the fire and snapped her fingers. "That for your blackmail attempt!"

"Oh, come on now, 'Penny'," Christa said sarcastically. "You don't think that Mae doesn't have copies of those photos, do you? I mean, Mae can be an airhead sometimes, but not _that_ much of one."

Mae nodded. "She's right. I'm not that much... hey!" She reached out and smacked Christa on the arm. Christa rubbed the spot and smiled.

"I haven't forgotten, Penelope," Sally suddenly said. "We'll let you keep your position as an IR agent. But no more coming on to our Dad. No more trips to Bongo-Bongo. No more invitations to your estate. And no more unannounced visits here, either." She smiled sweetly. "Or not only will Dad see those photos, but Mae will ask her photographer friend to publish them. Right now, she's the one who is keeping him from doing so."

"Oh? Suppose I tell him about your blackmail attempt?" Penelope sneered. "I'm sure he'd love to know that about his _perfect_ little girls."

Sally smiled lazily. "What proof do you have? You just threw the photos into the fire. And if you try, the pictures will be published. And the magazines left around the house for Daddy to see." She shrugged. "You know how Mae is with those gossip rags of hers. Always forgetting where she put them."

"Hey!" Mae protested again.

"And what exactly am I supposed to tell him? He'll ask why I'm not seeing him anymore, you know," Penelope said grimly.

"That you've given things a lot of thought and have decided that he's just too old for you," JC piped up. "That you want to find yourself a younger man, someone more your own age."

"You've thought this all out very well, haven't you?" Penelope remarked. "Well, I shall take your... offer... into consideration."

"You do that," Sally said. "But don't be too long about it. It's a limited time offer, you know."

"Yes, I can see that." Penelope let out a deep breath. "I'm going back to the Villa. Please tell your father that I am tired and went to bed."

"Certainly," Christa said politely. "Goodnight, Lady Penelope."

Penelope turned without another word and disappeared into the darkness.

Sally let out a sigh of relief when she had gone. "That went better than I expected."

"Yes, it did," JC agreed, just before biting into another smore.

"I wonder where Brains and Tin-Tin are?" Christa observed, looking off into the night. "I was afraid they'd walk in on us."

"I'm glad they didn't," Sally said. "And I'm glad that Daddy hasn't come back yet with that blanket."

"Who says I haven't?" came a deep voice from the shadows. All of the girls' eyes got wide and JC dropped her treat as Jeff came into the circle of light, a blanket over his arm.

" _Daddy!_ " Mae squeaked.


	8. A Few Things To Say

The silence following Jeff's appearance and Mae's squeal was profound. Nothing could be heard but the crackle of the fire and the swishing of the waves washing up on the shore. Finally, Jeff sighed and sat down on the sand. He shook his head slowly.

"I never would have believed it of you."

None of his daughters would meet his eyes. Even the outspoken Sally had trained her sight on the dancing flames.

"Why?"

There was a long silence that was at last broken by Sally's question: "How much did you hear, sir?"

Jeff thought for a moment, then replied, "Enough." He glanced over at Mae. "Who exactly is 'Francy'?"

Mae looked down. "François Lemaire. Both Lady Penelope and I have modeled for him."

"The French designer who was so taken with Penny that he named a fabric after her?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you have pictures of them together at a topless beach?"

"Yes, sir."

"I will want to see those photos."

"Yes, sir."

"And I will want _all_ of the copies. Yours _and_ your friend's."

"Yes, sir."

The talking ceased again for a time. Jeff studied each of his daughters. "I still haven't had an answer to my question. Why? Why did you do this?"

Sally took in a deep breath and let out again and for the first time, faced her father squarely. "We did it for you. And for ourselves. We wanted you to be happy, and none of us, not even Val, thought that you would be happy with Lady Penelope as a wife. And, frankly, none of us wanted her as a stepmother either."

"What makes you think that she wouldn't make me happy?" Jeff asked. "Do you want me to go through my whole life mourning your mother and living in celibacy?"

"It's not like that at all!" Christa exclaimed. "We wouldn't mind if you married again. Really we wouldn't. It's just we'd like you to find someone... your own... age... that's all." Christa's voice trailed off.

"Yeah, Dad. If we're to have a stepmother, we'd rather have one we can look up to. One that we can ask advice of," JC added. "Not one a few months younger than Sally here."

Jeff sat quietly, digesting what his daughters had just told him. He raised his head when Mae spoke out.

"Daddy? Does Penelope _really_ make you happy? Does she? Because if she does; if she makes you as happy as Mother made you, you know we'd put our feelings aside and try to get along. You know we would."

Jeff gazed at each of his daughters in turn. Sally had gone back to staring at the fire. JC returned his scrutiny for a moment, then closed her eyes and slid off the rock to the sand, putting her head back. Christa met his eyes for a moment, then looked away. But Mae, Mae's blue eyes were swimming with unshed tears.

"None of us wanted to hurt you, Daddy. You were never to know."

"But I do know. And I'm deeply disappointed in all of you." Jeff paused for a minute. "Mae, you say you'd try to get along if I married Penelope. Does this go for _all_ of you?"

Christa nodded her head slowly. JC glanced at him and made a motion towards him with her hand that Jeff took to be an affirmative one. Sally was silent. Jeff turned to regard his oldest. "What about you, Sal? Would you try to get along, too?"

Sally sighed mightily then faced her father again. "I would _try_. Beyond that, there are no guarantees." Then she bit her lower lip and said quickly, "We'd expect the same from you."

Jeff sat up, surprised. "What do you mean by that?"

Sally breathed deeply then swallowed. "Daddy, we're not getting any younger. Eventually we'll want husbands and children of our own, and when that happens, we might not be able to stay here and help you with your dream. Then you'd have to try and get along; get along with whoever we choose to spend our lives with. Even if you consider them a rival."

There was quiet again as Jeff studied each girl... _No,_ he corrected himself mentally, _each **woman**_ ...in turn. Then he quietly asked. "Do you have anyone specific in mind?"

Sally squirmed under the question. But it was JC who quietly spoke up first. "I do."

Jeff and her siblings all focused their attention on her. She blushed then rolled her eyes. "His name is George, George Lee Sheridan. He likes me to call him Lee. He's the communications officer on the WASP submarine _Stingray_. I met him before I left WASP and we've kept in touch ever since. You know the surfing contests I've been bugging you about? He was going to be in port each of those times. We... we were beginning to talk marriage."

Sally's eyes had bugged out and she knew her jaw had dropped. "Wow! And you kept this quiet for how long, JC? Two years? Three?"

"Doesn't matter. I wasn't sure Daddy would approve. And I knew sure as hell that Nana wouldn't," JC explained with a resigned tone.

Jeff said nothing to JC's comment, but fixed his eyes on the fire, stunned at JC's revelation. Then Christa, twisting her hands, cleared her throat.

 _Oh, no!_ thought Sally, _Christa's being brave! Now things are really going to hit the fan!_  
  
Jeff glanced up and asked, "Yes, Christa?"

"Well, uh, Daddy," she stammered. "I-I have to t-tell you, uh, something." _She never stutters like this, even when she's nervous!_ Sally realized. _Damn! She sounds just like Brains!_  
  
"Uh, B-Brains and I, well, we've been a c-couple now for, uh, some time," Christa confessed, stuttering. "W-We've kept it, uh, qu-quiet because we d-didn't know what you would, uh, s-say."

Jeff blinked, and blinked again. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"P-Please, Daddy, Brains makes me happy. We're, uh, g-good for each other," she pleaded. "And b-being together with your b-blessing means that, uh, neither of us would l-leave the Island." She bowed her head and sniffed. "Please, don't be angry."

"I-I don't know what to say, Christa. This comes as quite a shock!" Jeff replied. He chewed his lower lip for a moment. "But I guess this is what Sally meant by my having to 'get along'." He let out a deep breath, then smiled shakily. "C'mere, Christa. You, too, Mae. Come sit down beside me. There's no need to stand way over there. I'm not going to bite. Jerrie, put some more wood on the fire, please." Jeff scooted over closer to Sally so that Mae and Christa could sit next to him on the other side. "I have a feeling this is one of those father-daughter discussions we should have had a long time ago." He turned to Mae. "Do you have any romantic entanglements to discuss, Mae? Anyone in your life that I should know about?"

Mae giggled, the first laugh the girls had uttered since Jeff arrived on the scene. "You're being silly, Daddy. No, I don't have any 'romantic entanglements'. How could I when I spend so much time in Thunderbird Five? I was rather sweet on Francy, but, now I look back on it, he really wasn't my type. And Tin-Tin and I are just having fun."

Sally's eyes widened and she and Christa exchanged glances. They hoped that Jeff has just glossed over the comment about Tin-Tin.

He hadn't. He frowned.

"You and Tin-Tin? I thought Tin-Tin was in love with Val?"

"Oh, he is, Daddy," Mae explained, beaming. "It's just that he likes me, too. But we're not serious like he and Val are."

"Val doesn't know, Daddy," Christa quickly put in. "And it would probably be best not to tell her."

"Yes, I can see that it would be," Jeff said slowly. _That doesn't mean I'm not going to have a serious talk with that young man!_  
  
Now Jeff turned to Sally. "And what about you, Sal?" he asked quietly.

Sally sighed again, and JC put a hand on her arm, offering support.

"Eddie Houseman."

"Houseman?!" Jeff exclaimed. "Sally! How _could_ you? He's a business rival!"

"No, he's not, Daddy, not really," Sally replied with some ascerbity. "He's not in your league and you know it! And, Daddy, he prefers to keep it that way. There are lots of smaller jobs out there that Tracy Industries won't touch simply because they _are_ small. He's more than happy to take on those and let you have the massive projects. Plus, construction is his only game. He doesn't have fingers in mulitple pies like you do." She shifted around so that she and her father were face-to-face, eye-to-eye again. "And you know what, Daddy? He cares about me for who _I_ am, not who my Daddy is or how much money my Daddy has. Anyone else has heard the Tracy name and seen the dollar signs." She saw Jeff's thoughtful look and continued. "And don't you even _think_ of buying him out, Daddy. He's proud of what he's built up. Besides, he wouldn't sell."

Jeff started, a little shocked by what he thought of as mind-reading on Sally's part: he had just been contemplating buying Houseman's company. He huffed. "Trying to get along, eh?" he remarked. He straightened up, stretching his back. "Well, I will want to have a chat with Mr. Houseman and your Mr. Sheridan, Jerrie. Father to potential son-in-law type talk."

"What about Lady Penelope?" Christa asked quietly.

"That's for me to decide," Jeff replied, his face solemn.

The family's moment together was interrupted by the arrival of Brains, dragging the cooler along the sand. "S-sorry that this, uh, took so long."

"That's okay, Brains. Where's Tin-Tin?" Sally asked.

"Th-that's what took so long. He s-su-suf, he had one of his fits. I had t-to take him up to the h-house," Brains explained. Opening the cooler, the scientist began to hand out drinks to the assembly.

Jeff frowned. "I wish that the neurologists could find out what's wrong with the boy. But the doctors have told me that they've done all the testing they can; that for them to find anything, they've got to be here when he has an episode. And we just can't allow that."

"At least the e-episodes are few and far b-between," Brains said, sipping a soda. "Perhaps I c-can come up with, uh, a monitoring device."

"A good idea, Brains." Jeff nodded. "By the way, Brains, you and I need to have...."

Jeff's statement was cut off by the blinking and beeping of multiple telecomms. "The emergency signal!" JC called. She was first to her feet and sprinting for the stairs to the Villa, Sally and Mae not far behind. Jeff turned to Brains.

"Deal with the fire, please, Brains. Then join us."

"Y-Yes, Mr. Tracy."

Christa stopped for a moment to kiss her lover on the cheek and whisper, "He knows," in an ear, and then she too was running pell-mell for the stairs. Brains blinked owlishly behind the thick lenses and then muttered, " _Damn_."

Val's portrait was already active in the lounge as the Tracys came pelting in. Ruby was there trying to calm her terrified granddaughter. She turned as Jeff strode up to the live-feed picture of his youngest.

"Here's your father now, Valentina. You calm down and tell him exactly what you told me."

"What's the matter, Val?" Jeff asked. He noticed that Val was tugging on a spacesuit even as she spoke.

"Thunderbird Five's been holed, Dad, in multiple places. Gravity is at half Earth normal and I expect it to fail momentarily. Life support is down by fifty percent; I'm putting on a suit, just in case. I have no idea where this came from or what's causing it. It's not a meteor shower or anything of that sort, the scanners would have warned me and the deflectors would have caught it. This is..." Val's picture disappeared into a scattering of white and static, then the screen went blank, replaced after a second by her uniformed portrait.

"No!" Jeff whispered, his face paling to white. "No! Not Val! Please God, not Val!" He turned as he felt a hand on his upper arm. It was Ruby, her own face pale, but there was a resolution there that heartened Jeff. She nodded toward the others in the room, towards his daughters who stood, frozen, gaping at Valentina's now motionless picture. He nodded slightly to Ruby, then straightened.

"Okay! Sally, Mae, scramble Thunderbird Three! Thunderbirds are go!"

His commanding voice jolted the girls out of their paralysis and galvanized them into action. Mae and Sally literally leapt for the couch that would take them down to Thunderbird Three's silo. Christa and JC were in Jeff's face immediately.

"Please, Dad, let us go, too!" JC pleaded. "We want to help Val!"

Jeff shook his head even as he moved behind his desk. "No, Jerrie. I need you and Christa here in case there's an emergency elsewhere." He drew the attention of the daughters on the couch. "Full suits and safety precautions and keep your communications open! Use emergency speed as soon as you've cleared the atmosphere! I want to know the moment you dock with Thunderbird Five and every detail of what you find there!"

Sally and Mae both nodded, and Mae said, "F-A-B, Dad." Jeff smiled at that and pushed a button, watching his daughters, transformed from the young women he doted on into the commander and the astronaut he counted on, sink into the floor on the first leg of their journey into space to aid their sister. The identical couch slid up into place.

Within minutes, Sally's voice was asking for a count-down to blast off. Jeff could imagine the silo doors sliding open and rocket's engines at the ready. _I was going to pilot on this next trip,_ he remembered. _But I'm needed here more this time._

"T-minus five... four... three... two... one! Lift-off!" he called out. With a roar, Thunderbird Three soared through the Round House and disappeared into the sky. Jeff joined his mother-in-law and remaining daughters on the balcony, watching.

"Find her safe, Sally, Mae. Find her safe and bring her home," he whispered as he put his arms around his girls' shoulders.


	9. The Dark Pathway

The mood in Thunderbird Three's control room was tense. As soon as they were out of the atmosphere, Sally put on a sustained burst of emergency speed, the sudden increase in acceleration pushing both her and Mae back into their seats. But Brains had built Thunderbird Three well; neither of them ended up as jelly smears against the floor.

"ETA Thunderbird Five, forty minutes," Sally said firmly, using the information to brace herself as much as to inform Mae and the rest of the family at base.

"F-A-B," came the response from Jeff, faint but clear. Sally shook her head. _We just might lose communications with base as well. We rely on Thunderbird Five more than we ever really realize_.

She glanced over at Mae, dressed in her blue uniform, lavender sash in place, and manicured fingers all twisted together. Mae's brows were knit in an crease of worry and her eyes were focused on her hands, or seemed to be. Sally knew that she was in need of reassurance, and reached out to gently touch her sister's knee.

"What's up there, Mae-Bee?" she asked, using Mae's old childhood nickname, a cross between Mae and Ruby.

"Oh!" Mae started, then shifted her gaze to Sally. "I was just thinking..."

"Always a dangerous pasttime," Sally quipped gently. Mae rolled her eyes, then looked somber again.

"I was thinking: why did Daddy send _me_ out on _this_ rescue? This very, _very_ important one? He sends me out on so few. I think he's afraid I'll screw up. I'm not the most focused member of the team, after all."

Sally thought for a moment before answering. It was true that Jeff didn't send Mae out on a lot of rescues when she was home. Sally didn't understand why; it's not like he didn't send her out on any at all. And when he did, they were rescues where she was either stuck working in one of the craft or had to wear protective gear. A sudden thought came up. _I wonder if it's because he's afraid she'd be recognized! Her picture was all over magazines and in the news for quite a while. None of the rest of us have been as high profile, except maybe JC when she won that gold medal. And that was a long time ago._

"Y'know, Mae, I don't think that's it at all. I think he doesn't want you to be recognized and have people put two and two together," Sally ventured slowly. "He may be protecting IR's security by letting you go out on only selected rescues." Mae's expression went from concerned to puzzled to clear.

"Yeah, you may be right, Sally. I never thought of it that way." Mae now smiled slightly. Sally patted her knee.

"Well, whatever his reasoning, he sent you on _this_ particular mission because he knew you had the skills we needed and because nobody, not even Val, knows Thunderbird Five like _you_ do."

Mae sat up straighter. "You're right, Sally. Nobody does." She blinked a couple of times. "That's good, too. It means that Val could never find all the places I hid those pictures."

Sally snorted a laugh, one that was cut off by a sensor beeping at her. She checked the readout. "What the hell...? Mae, hold on!! Incoming! Commencing evasive maneuvers!"

She quickly activated the upper and lower attitude rockets on the side closest to the incoming bogeys, pushing the mighty spacecraft nearly sideways and out of their path. Out of the path of all but one. Thunderbird Three shuddered, one of its three nacelles hit by whatever it was that had been coming at them.

"Damage report, Mae!" Sally shouted as she fought to retain control of the ship.

"Oh, okay." Mae brought up a readout. "Looks like nacelle three has a hole in it. The ion driver's flow has been interrupted, but I think it can be restarted."

"Can you get me a scan on what those things were?" Sally asked. Mae sighed and brought up another window on the plasma screen in front of them.

"The computer doesn't know what they are, Sally." Mae frowned. "But according to this, they came from Thunderbird Five!" She turned to her older sister. "Could they be what holed the station?"

"Possibly. Do you have a trajectory on where they're going to end up?"

"A trajectory?"

"A path, Mae. The possible path they're going to take."

"Oh, yeah." Mae switched sensor readouts and put the current course of the objects on the screen, asking the computer to determine the ultimate destination of the projectiles. "Hmmm. Looks like they're all headed for Earth."

Sally bit back a scathing retort. "Where on Earth, Mae? Where?"

"Uh, the Pacific Ocean."

That fact sent warning bells through Sally's head. "Can you pinpoint it, Mae?"

"Hmm. I think so." The small box on the screen became more and more magnified. Mae's eyes grew wide.

"Oh. Oh no. They're going to either hit our island or hit nearby."

Sally paled, but kept her focus on regaining control of Thunderbird Three and reinitializing the ion drive particle gun in the damaged nacelle. "How long until they reach it?"

Mae plugged in some numbers, and frowned. She plugged in some numbers again, and went "Tch!"

"How long, Mae? How long?" Sally asked urgently.

"I'm trying to find out but I keep punching in the wrong numbers!" Mae cried in frustration. Her fingers punched the keys again. "There! I think that's right. 5 hours, 22 minutes. They'll gain speed as they enter the atmosphere."

"Well, let's hope that they burn up on entry and never touch the island," Sally said grimly. "Or that Christa can get out there and destroy them with the mini-missiles on Thunderbird Two. Let Dad know what's going on, would you? I've finally got this baby under control and am easing us back to our original heading."

"F-A-B," Mae said simply as she activated the communications panel to talk to their father.

* * *

"F-A-B, Mae, and thanks," Jeff said to the voice of his third daughter. Since they didn't have Thunderbird Five's boosting power to give both clear video and audio communications, Jeff had opted for audio only. It made for a stronger signal with more range and a clearer communication between the island and Thunderbird Three.

"Another twenty minutes!" Christa exclaimed as she sat the piano, hands idle. JC suddenly got up from her chair and headed out to the balcony, unable to sit still any longer. Jeff sighed. He was as worried about Valentina as they were, more so since she was his youngest, the last legacy of his sweet Lucille. But he was so thankful that Sally and Mae were unhurt from whatever it was that had punctured nacelle three.

 _They'll probably have to do a spacewalk to see how extensive the damage is and determine if it can be repaired. A touchdown with a damaged nacelle would be more than dangerous; it could be deadly._ Jeff was already formulating a plan in his head to deal with the contingencies when Sally's voice broke in.

"Base, we have visual on Thunderbird Five now."

Jeff leapt for the communication activation. Christa got up and stuck her head out to the balcony, waving JC inside.

"How does she look, Sal?"

There was a momentary pause. "She's dark, Dad. No power that I can see. We're circling round to see the rest of the station."

There was silence in the lounge as Thunderbird Three made its circuit around the crippled Thunderbird Five. The folks assembled could hear Mae's voice in the background reciting a litany of damage. At last, Sally came back on.

"There are holes in the meteor deflector at several points. The astrodome is trashed, but they missed the starfix sensor system by about a foot." Jeff inhaled sharply; the laser-beam signalling system that helped keep Thunderbird Five in place sat atop a portion of the main monitor room.

Sally continued, "The space scanner was holed right between the antennae, one of them is broken off and floating nearby. The frequency antenna is also snapped, but still attached to the hull. They got the medical bay once and the main monitor room three times, total. There's a hole right through the docking bay as well. Docking with Five just got a whole lot harder."

Brains, who was sitting on Thunderbird Five's couch, sighed deeply. "Th-That'll take weeks of work t-to fix, Mr. Tracy."

"I know, Brains, I know. Our first priority is to find Valentina and repair Thunderbird Three for re-entry and touchdown," Jeff reminded the engineer, who nodded in acquiesence.

"That's the bad news, base. The good news is that Mae thinks the duplicate monitor room was spared. She's pretty sure that the one or two hits on that side of the station holed the bathroom and an airlock. So Val may have had a place to retreat to where there was still oxygen. The solar panels are okay and so is the main monitoring antenna. The oxygen tanks themselves haven't blown, nor have the fuel tanks for Thunderbird Three's rockets. Mae is also certain that the space suit storage bay was untouched and that the cloaking baffles are still intact." Jeff could hear the frown in Sally's voice. "Though if they're still intact, how the hell did someone know where to find the station?"

"D-Does the d-damage seem random to you or, uh, deliberate?" Brains asked, moving up to Jeff's desk to be better heard.

There was a long pause and Jeff could barely hear his two daughters discussing the question. Then Sally's voice returned. "Mae thinks deliberate. There are too many key systems knocked out. Add that to the trajectories of those things that took out nacelle three, and I'd say someone was out to get us."

"Someone with some pretty intimate knowledge of our equipment," JC said softly. She looked at Brains pointedly. Christa flushed red with the implied accusation.

"It's not Brains, JC. There's no one more loyal to International Rescue."

"But no one else has such detailed knowledge..." JC began.

She was interrupted by a soft masculine voice. "You are wrong, JC. I have that same knowledge," Tin-Tin admitted, his face stricken. He swallowed. "I might be your weak link."

"What makes you say that, my son?" Kyrano asked, puzzled.

"These fits I've been having. I've been keeping a journal on them since the neurologist saw me the first time. He said that it would be helpful in diagnosing my problem. I was entering today's incident in my medical journal and I had my diary open at the same time and I noticed something strange. It seemed that every time I had a fit, something bad or odd would happen right after it. Like the time the photo detector was turned off when you and Sally went to rescue those actors, Christa. I had a fit just before that happened. I just sort of shrugged it off and didn't tell anyone. There have been some other items, too, like when Brains and I went to Lake Anasta and that guy with the eyes showed up..." Tin-Tin put his head in his hands. "And now this! Oh God, I could be the one who k..."

"Don't say it, Tin-Tin!" Jeff said sternly, cutting off the Malaysian's thought. "We don't know that Val is dead or alive and I won't have you thinking that way until we do know for sure. Now, straighten up. I need you and Christa to do a very important job."

Tin-Tin looked up at Jeff bleakly while Christa got up from the piano and approached her father.

"It's only a little while until those projectiles, whatever they are, reach and penetrate the atmosphere. I need you two to take Thunderbird Two up to the area where they are due to break through and monitor them. If they burn up in the atmosphere, fine. If not, then take them out with the mini-missiles. All but one. I want to know what these things are if at all possible but I'm not going to ask you to risk holing Two either. Be very, very careful. I'll have the coordinates transferred to you as soon as you're ready. Understood?"

"F-A-B, Father," Christa said stoutly as she made her way over to the picture of the rocket ship that she herself had painted. She stood with her back to it and it flipped her up and into the darkened tunnel on the ride that thrilled her more than any roller coaster in the world.

"Go, my son," Kyrano said quietly, putting a hand on Tin-Tin's shoulder and squeezing gently. "Do what you can to help Christa in her task. We will discuss the other later."

"Yes, Father," Tin-Tin said. He rose to his feet and, unexpectedly, bowed to his sire, then to Jeff, then hurried out before either man could return the gesture.

JC now gazed at her father with an unreadable expression. "Do you have a job for me, too, Father?" she asked in a soft voice, full of both hope and accusation.

Jeff turned to her and nodded. "I just might, Jerrie. It depends on whether or not our little mischief makers burn up in the atmosphere or not. You'd better have Four standing by, ready for emergency launch procedures."

"Yes, sir!" JC replied smartly, a slight smile on her face. She got up from her seat and strode from the room, her step confident and happy.

"Clearing the room, are we, Jeff?" Ruby asked, putting a hand on his arm. "What about the rest of us?"

"I need you here, Ruby, Kyrano, for support... if we have a worst-case scenario. And I need you here, Brains, to give me your ideas on what could have caused this and where it could have launched from," Jeff told the remaining three.

"I-I'll get r-right on it, M-Mr. Tracy," Brains replied. Jeff moved out of the way so that the genius could use his computer.

"We're attempting to dock with Thunderbird Five now, base. We'll keep communications open as best we can while in space suits," Sally told Jeff.

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Three. And, Sal?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Be safe."

Her voice softened. "We will. Firing retros now."

* * *

The docking bay was eerily silent as Sally and Mae floated down the ramp towards the hatchway at the lower level. This was partially because they were both encased in their own spacesuits and were saving their oxygen by keeping talk to a minimum. But mostly because the docking bay was as much a vacuum as the space around it. The hole where the projectile had passed through actually pierced the lefthand ramp, so Sally and Mae opted for the right-hand one. Mae carried with her a portable power pack, one that would help them open the doors and hopefully provide lighting and basic computer or scanner functions once they were inside. They both wore worklights on their forearms and on their helmets, sweeping before them as their arms or heads moved. Their faces were bathed in an eerie blue glow from the fluorescent panels that ringed the edges of their faceplates.

Mae popped open the handprint scanner plate with a screwdriver, then hooked up the powerpack to it and pushed a button in a certain rhythmic sequence. The door slid open, and Mae disconnected the power source so it stayed open. They did this for the other airlock door and they found themselves in the corridor between the docking port and the living areas. The bulk of the space scanner's amplification and power systems were situated there, a massive piece of technology now ruined by whatever had been flung at it. They floated past to the second set of airlock doors, where Mae repeated the procedure and then there they were on the lower level, where the living quarters were situated. Sally was a bit disoriented in the darkness, but Mae led her to the left and down the corridor a bit to where the lift stood. To the left of the lift door was a ladder that led upward.

Sally grasped the rungs and pulled herself up easily, pushing open the hatch in the ceiling and propelling herself gently through. Mae followed, the power pack dangling from one shoulder, handing it up to Sally as she came within arms' reach. She joined her older sister on the upper level and Sally took out the one piece of equipment she'd been dreading using up to now: the thermal imager.

Her gloved fingers fumbled with the controls. She swore softly, then tried again. This time it activated, and Sally made a slow sweep of the small, airlocked room they were in. As she turned around and encountered Mae, she could feel it vibrate in her hands, then as she swept it past her sister, it shuddered again. Sally put a hand up to activate her helmet radio.

"She's in the duplicate monitor room."

Mae gave Sally a thumbs up and proceeded to open the two airlock doors between them and Val. It took all of Sally's courage to step through, so afraid was she of what she thought she'd find. Mae followed, immediately shining her worklight around the wide room. It caught a glimpse of silver-white and Mae tracked it back to reflect off a space-suited figure, curled up in a ball, floating in the middle of the chamber.

Sally gulped, and propelled herself over to the still body. She couldn't tell if Val was breathing or not through the suit nor could she check for a pulse. The only thing she knew for sure is that her baby sister was warmer than the vacuum around her. Heart in her throat, she reached for Val's arm while Mae came up on the other side to do the same.

They positioned their sister so that they could see into her helmet. The fluorescents had faded considerably and Val's face looked chalk white under what light they put forth. Sally felt tears spring to her eyes and she rested her helmet against Val's with a slight bump.

Blue eyes flew open, startled, and the body uncurled to wrap arms around Sally's neck, helmets scraping together. Mae moved in, her own helmet brushing up against Val's. Tears ran down her cheeks as Val reached out to pull her into her embrace. Neither of the older sisters could hear what Val kept repeating, but they knew what it was all the same.

"You came! Thank God you came!"


	10. UFO Relay

Sally tried to focus on the repair she was making. They were fortunate; whatever it was that had holed nacelle three had basically done only that: put a hole in the hull of the nacelle. A sheet of cahelium, salvaged from the docking area, made an admirable patch once attached with a laser welder. She took pictures of the hole before covering it; it was a good twelve inches in diameter. The holes in Thunderbird Five ranged from twelve to twenty-four inches, with the larger ones going through the mainly inhabited areas. Sally shuddered; it had been such a near thing for Val. She turned back to her welding, tethered to the docking bay on a solo space walk in the cold and silence of the starry void.

Mae sat, crosslegged and floating, inside the duplicate monitor room, running diagnostic programs on the station with electricity supplied by the power plant. She was ready to put the station on automatic relay; until they could repair the hull and the various meteor detectors, it was basically uninhabitable. The room she floated in was independently powered, which meant that the relays and circuits in other parts of the station weren't needed to keep that one chamber functional.

She had already done a space walk with Sally to repair the frequency antenna so that they could restore communications with the island. Now she was ready to test it.

"Thunderbird Five to base, Thunderbird Five to base. Do you read me base?"

There was a small burst of static, then Jeff's voice responded. "We read you five by five, Thunderbird Five. Good work, Mae. What is your status?"

"Sally is patching the nacelle. I'm going to put the station on automatic relay, and Val is on Thunderbird Three, warming up. We took pictures of the damage and I have a list of repairs."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Five. What is your ETA dirtside?"

"I don't know, Daddy. You'll have to ask Sally," Mae replied. Down on earth, Jeff shook his head slowly. _Mae might be an astronaut, but she's no rocket jockey._

"Understood, Mae. We'll see you when you get down here."

"F-A-B, Daddy."

Mae pushed a button, and the screen that shielded the station from glare on that side slid across the window, covering the words "International Rescue". She and Sally had already manually pulled the other across. Another switch toggled, and the station was on automatic.

_Better go find my pictures_ , Mae thought as she floated out of the room, heading for the lower levels where her bedroom was.

Val stared up at the bunk above her head. She was covered with warming blankets and had an oxygen cannula fitted around her head. Her golden hair was spread out around her on the pillow, as she lay there and just listened. Though Thunderbird Three was empty of all save her, it wasn't exactly silent. There was still a humming of the power plant that kept the lights on and the gravity at Earth normal. There was a whirr from the ventilation system, and the steady beeping of the monitors that her sisters had insisted on hooking her up to. The noises, no matter how slight, were welcome to Valentina's ears.

_Everything was so silent in the station. The little air that was in the duplicate monitor room couldn't carry any sound. All I could hear was my own breathing, my own pulse throbbing in my temples. I couldn't even hear myself move around. It wasn't as bad as sensory deprivation. I could see the stars glittering outside the view port and make out the shapes of the equipment around me. But it was so terribly, terribly quiet._

She closed her eyes, remembering her fright when Sally, then Mae, had gently touched her. She hadn't even been aware that she was all curled up. _I will never forget how I felt when I opened my eyes and saw Sally looking back at me, and then Mae coming up to hug me. At first, the shock, then the momentary disbelief, then the overwhelming relief to know that they were there, that they hadn't forgotten me, that they had come for me!_ Tears filled her eyes and she let them fall. _Oh, God! I did not want to die! Not like that, not in space, all alone, in the silence! It's the closest I've ever come to death, and I never want to get that close again!_

She took in a deep breath, composing herself as best she could. Then, reassured by the noise and the light that surrounded her, she fell fast asleep.

Sally finished her job and pulling on the tether, made it back to the little inspection platform outside the docking bay. She unhooked herself, and, drawing the length of the tether in behind her, went through the airlock. The laser welder was slung over her back, and she did what she could to coil the cable up. She was met by the floating figure of Mae, coming up from the living quarters, a satchel over one arm, and something black and unrecognizable in her hand. She held it out for Sally to see, a sad and almost grief stricken expression on her pretty face.

"What is it?" Sally asked as she peered at the thing in the light of Mae's helmet.

"My plant," Mae whimpered. "It died."

Sally smiled softly at her sister and reached out to touch her shoulder. "C'mon, Mae. Let's go home."

* * *

Christa was all business as she took off for the stratosphere and her rendezvous with the objects that had holed two Thunderbirds. Tin-Tin sat at a console, checking the radar, keeping his whirling thoughts to himself as he tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

_It's so hard to believe. Hard to believe that I could betray the Tracys and International Rescue this way. How did this happen? How long has it been going on? Who's responsible for it? Why did it take so long to figure it out? What will happen if Val...? No, I can't think that way. She's going to be all right._ He straightened in his seat. _It's time I did something about us. Something permanent. I'll have to stop diddling around with Mae. It's Val that I'm serious about. It's Val that I love. Time to tell her so._ A pinging sound interrupted the Malaysian's thoughts. He peered at the radar screen. "Bogeys at two o'clock, Christa. I can see their heat trails."

Christa smiled grimly. "Good thing Brains thought of patching the thermal imager into the radar system. If Val and Sal couldn't see them until it was too late, it's a good bet we wouldn't either, especially in the dark. But finding them by the heat they're generating as they enter the atmosphere was a stroke of genius." _Which of course, Brains is. A genius. **My** genius. The genius whom I will reward appropriately at the earliest convenient time, _ she thought with satisfaction.

She maneuvered the giant cargo carrier closer, close enough to make visual contact with the objects, watching as the friction of the air heated them first red, then white-hot and gravity took them down towards the vast expanse of sea below.

"Thunderbird Two to base. Our bogeys don't seem to be burning up, Dad," Christa reported. "I can't tell if they're melting, but I'm at an altitude where the smaller ones should have become ash by now. The larger ones show no sign of deterioration at all."

"Understood, Thunderbird Two. Follow them down another ten thousand feet, and if there's no sign of burning up, you may use the mini-missiles on them. Leave one or two of the bigger ones alone and track their trajectory. I want to know where they hit the ocean so I can send Jerrie out after them," Jeff instructed.

"F-A-B, base. Any word on Val?" she asked. Tin-Tin glanced over at her, but she didn't turn her head.

"Val is in crew's quarters on Thunderbird Three, resting comfortably," came the answer. "Thunderbird Five is on automatic relay and Three is finishing up repairs."

Christa could hear Tin-Tin's sigh of relief and her own shoulders relaxed a bit at the good news. "Thanks for the update, base. I'll let you know when we've descended another ten thousand feet." Christa finally turned to Tin-Tin. "Prepare the mini-missiles. I have a feeling that these things aren't going to go away."

"F-A-B," he said simply, toggling the switches that opened a hatch in the hull above them, allowing the missile launcher to protrude. "Missiles armed and ready."

Christa kept a sharp eye on the altimeter and brought up the targeting computer, locking it on to a small group of three objects, two smaller, three larger. "Nine thousand... nine thousand five hundred... ten thousand! Fire one!"

Tin-Tin pressed the firing button, and the first of the four mini-missiles sped away. Christa counted under her breath and then shouted in triumph as the small group exploded into fragments. Then she frowned and reached for her communicator.

"Thunderbird Two to base. We've taken out a first group, but there's a problem. These things are spread out and the air currents are spreading them out further. So in some cases we'll have to take them out individually. And I don't know if I can get them all before some of them make contact... with the island."

There was a brief silence on the other end, then Jeff spoke. "Do what you can, Christa. Help is on the way."

"Help? What kind of help?" Tin-Tin asked incredulously.

"Never mind. Just target that next small group at four o'clock," Christa commanded. Within seconds another four of the bogeys were history.

"Now the ones at nine o'clock." Tin-Tin responded and this time the mini-missile went wide.

"Detonate it!" he shouted. Christa pounced on her control console and the tiny flying torpedo blew itself up. Another try, and three more were decimated. The missile turret retracted for automatic reloading.

"How many more?" Christa asked.

Tin-Tin did a quick count on his radar. "Ten," he told her.

"Damn!" Christa swore. "There's no way I can take them all out before they reach the island or the sea around it...." Her attention was grabbed by a flash that flew by her viewport, going almost too fast to be seen, a flash of silver outlined in Thunderbird Two's running lights. She watched as a string of the things blossomed into fire and shrapnel. The silver streak returned, and now both Christa and Tin-Tin could see clearly the wings and the sharp shape of the nose. It did a barrel roll and the Gatling gun that protruded from beneath the ship spat bright bullets in rapid succession, taking out another four or five of the unidentified falling objects. That brought the number down to just two. Thunderbird One pulled up beside Thunderbird Two to pace the bulkier cargo carrier.

"Isn't that....?" Tin-Tin asked, confused.

"Yes. Thunderbird One. But who....?"

The radio crackled into life, and Christa and Tin-Tin both jumped at the deep voice that issued from it.

"Thunderbird Two, this is Thunderbird One. Do you read?"

Christa blinked, then toggled a switch. "Thunderbird One, we read you... Dad?"

The voice chuckled, then became serious again. "Thunderbird Two, what are the projected trajectories of the two remaining bogeys?"

"Uh... one will hit just north of Mateo Island, and the other in the sea between that island and... base."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Two. Thunderbird Four is standing by using emergency launch sequence. Please forward projected coordinates to Thunderbird Four."

"F-A-B," Christa murmured, still in shock at the identity of Thunderbird One's pilot.

"What was that, Thunderbird Two? Please repeat."

Christa sat up, startled. "Uh, F-A-B, Thunderbird One. Transmitting coordinates to base and Thunderbird Four." She turned and nodded at Tin-Tin, who shook himself as if waking up, and did as Christa indicated.

Christa couldn't help herself, she just had to ask. "Uh, Dad? Why are you piloting Thunderbird One?"

The deep chuckle was heard again. "Why, Christa! Don't you think the old man should get some action once in a while? I was flying fighter jets before Sally was born! Besides, the Gatling gun was faster and more efficient than the mini-missiles. Now, you and Tin-Tin keep an eye on our remaining bogeys and make sure they don't make any sudden course corrections, and leave the rest to Jerrie. I need to get back to base and prepare for Thunderbird Three's arrival."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird One," Christa said with a smile. "We'll see you back at base. Oh, and Dad?"

"What is it, Christa?"

"Make sure you put Thunderbird One back to bed without a scratch or Sally will make you clean her with a toothbrush."

The deep chuckle was now a laugh. "Oh, she will, will she? I'd like to see her try." And with that, Thunderbird One did a victory roll and sped back in the direction from which it came.

Christa shook her head, and a laugh bubbled up from within. Tin-Tin glanced over at her. He took a deep breath and realized that the tight band of fear that had bound his chest was gone. He smiled, thought momentarily of Valentina, then turned back to his console.

* * *

Thunderbird Four sped along a few inches above the landing strip on its hoverjets. JC leaned forward, anticipating the end of the runway. Suddenly it dipped downward, disappearing from before her eyes like some rollercoaster hill that appears when it's least expected. But JC was expecting this, and she grinned as her little craft followed the downward slope and plunged into the night sea. She immediately cut the hoverjets and fired up the main thrusters, pushing her submersible deeper and faster under the water of Tracy Island's main lagoon. Within minutes, she was out into the open ocean and headed towards a rendezvous with one of the objects that had wreaked so much havoc on International Rescue and her family.

"Thunderbird Two to Thunderbird Four, I've got coordinates for you, JC," Christa informed her sister.

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Two. Download complete... now." JC pulled up the coordinates and set her course for the nearest of the objects. "So... how did Dad do up there?"

"Fabulously. I would have loved to see him as a fighter pilot in his prime. He'd outfly Sal any day of the week."

"Who says he's out of his prime, hmm?" JC challenged, grinning.

Christa's chuckle dissolved into a serious voice. "Here comes bogey number one, JC. I hope it doesn't explode on impact!"

"Me either. Thanks for the heads up." JC pushed Thunderbird Four even faster. She knew she needed to get as close to the object as she could before it sank like a stone or she'd miss it entirely in the wide Pacific.

"Impact in three... two... one!" Christa shouted.

JC held on tightly to the steering yoke as a liquid shockwave tried to push her craft off course. The water roiled with masses of bubbles created by the air that the object pulled into the water with it as it sliced below the surface. Immediately, JC put Thunderbird Four into a dive, following the diminishing bubble trail down, down into the murky depths of the sea. Turning the lighting trough to maximum intensity, she scanned the depths until a tantalizing metallic glint sparked in the bright beam. She closed in on the object, Thunderbird Four's sonar tracking it like a dolphin tracks a fish, until finally it appeared right in front of her, gleaming a dull silver. JC smiled grimly and activated Thunderbird Four's magnetic clamps. The two long studs slid smoothly from the bow of the yellow submersible, aimed directly at the object. She brought the magnets in close enough to touch it, but to her amazement, the magnets couldn't hold onto the thing! It continued its downward plunge into ever darker water.

Swearing softly, she retracted the magnets and put forth the pincer grab. JC maneuvered Thunderbird Four into an optimum position, then reached out carefully with the two-fingered grip and caught the metallic lump, snatching it as if from thin air, and drawing it back towards the bow, securing it by locking the grab in place. She smiled again and pulled back on the steering yoke, avoiding a collision with a large rock outcropping by scant meters. Her prey safely in hand, JC turned back towards the island.

"Thunderbird Four to base. I have collected one of the specimens and am headed back. Should I go out again and collect the other?"

Brains's voice sounded over her radio speakers. "B-Base to Thunderbird Four, th-that's a negative. The other, uh, s-specimen hit M-Mateo Island instead of the sea. Thunderbird Two is, uh, flying over t-to determine the e-extent of the damage."

JC's eyes grew wide. "It didn't hit the fuel depot did it? Man, if it did, there'd be no more Mateo!"

"S-So far, the reports, uh, indicate that it did n-not hit the fuel tanks. We'll know m-more when Christa and T-Tin-Tin return."

"F-A-B, base. Thunderbird Four, out." JC sat back and sighed. She wondered briefly when Thunderbird Three would be dirt side again and how Valentina was doing. _At least we know she's alive and will recover. But repairing Thunderbird Five is going to be a monstrous task. Wonder if Dad will decide to automate it at last? I know he likes the human touch in Thunderbird Five, but after this will Val or Mae **want** to go back? I guess the only answer to that is finding out who did this and why. Then maybe we can eliminate the threat and keep my sisters safe in space._


	11. In The Morning Rays

Sally expertly threaded the needle-like shape of Thunderbird Three through the hole in the Round House and back into the launch silo. She had kept a wary eye on nacelle three all the way down, but the closer they got to touchdown, the more confident she was that her makeshift repair would hold. And hold it did, even as the nacelles fitted snugly into their blast duct openings. Sally smiled at Mae, whose mournful expression lifted a bit when she realized that they were finally safely home.

As soon as the heat from the chemical rockets and the toxic fumes from their use dispersed, carried away by the efficient ventilation system of Thunderbird Three's launch bay, the door to the railway that connected the silo to the Villa opened and the car with the hydraulic lift trundled out. The door at the base of the ship irised open, and the business end of the lift rose to attach itself to a piece of flooring under a green couch. The sofa, on which Sally and Mae sat, and Val lay, her head in Sally's lap, was smoothly lowered down and out of Thunderbird Three and onto the car, where a lone figure stood.

"Daddy!" Mae cried out, jumping up and flinging her arms around Jeff's neck.

He smiled, wrapping his strong arms around her and giving her a stout squeeze before releasing her to sit down again. "You did good work, Mae. Welcome home." Jeff turned his attention to his oldest, leaning over to put a hand to her cheek and kissing her on the forehead. "Fantastic job, Sally. I'm glad you're back safe." Then Jeff knelt by the couch as the car moved through the long concrete tunnel. He took Val's hand in one of his own, and reached out with the other to stroke her hair back. She was still on oxygen and wrapped warmly but she was alert and their blue eyes met.

"Hi, Daddy," Val said softly.

Jeff wordlessly pulled her hand to his lips, then stroked her cheek with the back of his free hand and closed his eyes. It was obvious to Sally that her father was trying hard to control himself, and she looked away from the raw emotion on his face. Finally, he composed himself and said quietly, "Welcome home, my brave Valentina."

The couch rose, passing the empty duplicate, and finally clicked into its spot in the lounge. Jeff pulled away from his daughter as Brains came up with an antigravity stretcher. Ruby hovered in the background as the scientist/medic and Jeff transferred the blonde to the floating platform, then she moved in to fuss over her favorite granddaughter.

"You gave us quite a scare, young lady. Now, Brains and I have prepared the sickroom and you'll stay there until you're told you are well enough to go, do you understand?" Ruby admonished her, shaking a finger. She looked over at the other two young women, who were getting up from the couch to stretch and walk around. She opened her arms. "Mae, Sally, come here. You two were very brave and did a marvelous job under very trying and frightening circumstances." Mae smiled as she was embraced and kissed by her grandmother, while Sally accepted a small squeeze and a quick buss on the cheek. "Now, you two get something to eat and I think your father will be wanting to hear all about your adventures and will want to tell you about some of his own." She paused and turned toward the balcony. "It sounds like Christa and Tin-Tin are back. Good. Now all we need is Jerrie and we'll be a family once again."

Sally rolled her eyes at her grandmother's little speech. She watched as Lady Penelope came up on the other side of Val's stretcher. Penelope glanced over at Sally, her blue orbs icy cold. Sally raised an eyebrow in challenge, and watched as the processional of patient, medic, father, grandmother, and aristocrat left the room.

Kyrano came up and bowed. "If you would come down to the dining room, I have prepared a snack to hold you until brunch."

"Thank you, Kyrano. We'll be down in a minute," Sally replied. Kyrano bowed again, and padded quietly from the room.

"Thunderbird Two to base. Requesting permission to land," Christa called over the radio. Sally moved behind her father's desk.

"Permission granted, Thunderbird Two. Welcome back."

"Welcome home yourself. How's the kid?"

"She's been whisked away to the sickroom by the welcoming committee."

"Here that, Tin-Tin? The sickroom. Yes, as soon as we put this baby to bed. Sal, meet me down in my hangar."

"F-A-B. Base out." Sally stretched again, then frowned as she observed the satchel that Mae was clutching so tightly. "What's in the bag, Mae?"

"Uh..." Mae colored and wouldn't meet Sally's gaze.

"C'mon, Mae. Spill it! You've had that hanging from your shoulder all the time since you came off the station." Her eyes widened, and so did her grin. "Don't tell me! It's the pictures!"

"Well, uh, yeah," Mae finally admitted. "I promised I'd give Daddy all the copies I had. I found all the ones in the hiding places I could remember while I was on Thunderbird Five."

Sally sidled up to her sister, and tried to peek inside the satchel. "Can I see them?" Mae clutched the bag tighter.

"I don't know...." she began hesitantly.

"Aww, come on! You've seen them! Tell you what. When JC and Christa come back, we'll go down to the sick room, bring Val up-to-date on the Brit bitch situation and look at the pictures together. What d'you say?" Sally suggested eagerly.

Mae scowled for a moment, her pretty brows knit together. Then she sighed and her face cleared. "Well, I didn't tell Daddy just _when_ I was going to give them to him...." She grinned. "And we _were_ all in this together... Plus, I think it's time for Val to see just what kind of person her _friend_ really is!"

Sally rubbed her hands together and then put an arm around Mae's shoulders. "I knew I could count on you, Mae-Bee. Now, let's go find Christa. She should be back by now."

* * *

By the time they arrived in Thunderbird Two's hangar, Thunderbird Four had emerged from the waves and was speeding down the air strip toward them. JC brought her little craft to a stop before the two women who were waiting for Christa to emerge from her Thunderbird. Sally and Mae watched, wide-eyed, as the pincer grab unlocked from its position with an audible _snick_ and extended, exposing a metallic... _something_ for their perusal. The two women came closer to examine it as JC popped out of the hatch at the starboard side of Thunderbird Four and leaned around to speak to them.

"I've got the goods! Where's Brains?"

"I-I'm here! G-Get away from it!" the scientist called, waving, approaching the little group at a run, or as much of a run as could be managed in a radiation suit. Sally and Mae stood back, and JC withdrew into Thunderbird Four as Brains waved a geiger counter over the thing like a magician waves a wand over a top hat. No noise came from the instrument, and Brains sighed in relief, pushing the suit's hood back. "I-It's safe. No radiation. You c-can come, uh, closer."

Mae and Sally moved up to flank the engineer, who was beginning to minutely examine the unidentified object. On seeing this, JC emerged from Thunderbird Four once again. Christa and Tin-Tin also approached, Tin-Tin glancing back and away several times, but still clearly fascinated by JC's strange "catch".

The brown-haired scientist's excitement was all too apparent. Christa winced as her lover's stutter increased. "T-Tin-Tin, g-go get the, uh, a-antigravity float f-from the l-lab...."

"Uh, Tin-Tin? Why don't you go up and see Val?" Christa cut in. "I'll go and get the float and help Brains with... whatever this is."

Tin-Tin frowned. "Are you sure, Christa? I'm more than willing...."

Now Christa cut him off, too. "I'm sure. Go. Brains and I can handle this thing until you've had a proper reunion with Val."

The Malaysian flashed his smile nervously. He glanced over at Mae, then crossed to her and whispered something in her ear. She sighed and nodded and squeezed his hand. Then Brains's assistant left, walking quickly at first and breaking into a run once he was past Thunderbird Two's bulk. Christa turned her attention to her sisters.

"We can debrief a little later, can't we? I want to help get this thing stowed and then go see Val for myself."

Sally nodded. "We probably will since Daddy's tending to Val right now. Let us know when you're ready to go to the sickroom and we'll meet you there for our own little... debriefing." She grinned at Christa, who frowned at her for a moment.

"Whatever you say, Sal. Brains? I'll be right back." With that, Christa set off for the lab at a run, taking the passage that was normally reserved for the pod vehicles when they needed to be repaired. Sal and Mae watched her go, then joined JC and Brains as they examined the metal lump. It was shaped like an elongated football, with a sharp point at one end. The remains of another sharp point were evident in the melded metal at the other end of the ellipse.

"See here?" Brains began to explain, pointing at the melded end without touching it. "This end was p-probably as sh-sharp as the other, uh, end. It folded up like, uh, this on i-impact with the sea."

"It was travelling pretty fast," JC told them. "Created quite a shockwave when it hit."

"Wonder if Christa got the impact on vid?" Sally commented. "JC, I know you need to put Four to bed in the pod. We'll meet you in the dining room. Kyrano's got a snack for us and we're starved!"

"F-A-B," the aquanaut replied with a grin and a jaunty salute. "Meet you later!"

Sally took Mae's arm and hustled her sister off. "Let's put those pictures somewhere safe," she said quietly, "and get that snack to hold us over until... what time is it, anyway?"

"Nearly time for breakfast, I think," Mae said. Her stomach made a most un-ladylike noise, and she giggled. Sally smiled, and the two of them hurried to keep their appointment with the food in the dining room.

* * *

As it was, things didn't go quite as planned. Mae and Sally got their snack, and then cleaned up from the rescue, showering and changing into casual clothes. By the time they had finished, brunch was ready. Despite the presence of a coldly formal Lady Penelope and the absence of Brains, who was in the lab, and Tin-Tin, who ate his meal with Val, it was an animated affair. An informal debriefing took place around the table as they discussed the rescue and what could be done about Thunderbird Five. Jeff had the satisfaction of watching Sally's jaw drop as Christa told her about the sudden appearance of Thunderbird One during their encounter with the objects.

"I nearly went into shock when I heard Dad's voice coming from Thunderbird One!" she declared. "You should have seen him! He was awesome in the sky! Took out eight of the bogeys in a matter of seconds!"

"I can't believe it!" Sally gaped as she stared at her father. "What possessed you to pilot _my_ Thunderbird?"

Jeff sipped his coffee and gave his oldest child a bemused look. "Well, Sally, it was the only logical thing to do. Christa needed help. Thunderbird One was the only craft that could provide that help. And I was the only one who could pilot her." He raised his cup to his lips again and winked at her.

"Well, I hope you didn't scratch her, Daddy, or you'd...." Sally's voice trailed off and she blushed as she realized what she was about to say and to whom.

"I'd what, Sally?" Jeff asked, hiding an amused smile behind his coffee cup. Sally's younger sisters glanced at each other, then fastened their gaze on their oldest sibling, daring her with their eyes to complete her thought.

Sally was brave, but not _that_ brave. "Never mind, Daddy. Just... never mind."

Jeff chuckled. The other girls snickered and even Penelope broke forth with a smug smile to see Sally discomfited. Tin-Tin came and joined them at the table. He sighed.

"Val's not in the best of moods," he said. "Could that stay up in space have altered her personality or something?"

Ruby patted the Malaysian youth on the arm and began to get up from the table. "I'm sure she's just tired, Tin-Tin. Let me tend to my poor Valentina."

Jeff looked up, surprised. He caught Sally's eye and raised his eyebrows in a silent signal. Sally nodded, then got up, leaving her linen napkin beside her plate.

"No, Nana. Let us take care of it. We haven't been down to see her since you took her to the sick room." At Sally's verbal cue, the other girls stood and prepared to leave the dining room.

Ruby sat back down. "Yes, Sally. I'm sure she'd be happy to see her sisters and hear about what went on while she was waiting for you to rescue her."

"Please excuse us, Daddy, Nana, Lady Penelope, Tin-Tin," Christa said politely as the girls walked off together.

Once out of earshot, Sally grabbed Mae's arm. "Now's the time." Mae nodded and headed to her quarters. Christa looked after her, puzzled and JC stopped in her tracks to look back at her sisters.

"Let's take care of Miss Val's problem, and then we'll have our own little debriefing," Sally said with a mischievous smile. "C'mon." She strode off in the direction of the sick room. JC and Christa looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

By the time they got to the sick room, Mae was there sitting on the chair beside Val's bed. The invalid looked up with a scowl and a pout on her full lips.

"What is this? A convention or something?" she asked sourly.

"No, it's a debriefing session," Sally said smartly as she came out of the treatment room. "JC, get the door, please, and lock it." JC did as Sally asked, while Sally approached the bed with two blue tablets and a cup of water in her hand. "Here," she said, handing both to Valentina.

Val looked at the cup, the pills, and then at Sally. "What's this?"

"Midol. Extra strength."

Val sighed, and took the pills. JC pulled up another chair, turned it around and sat on it backwards, resting her arms on the chair's back. Sally sat at the end of the bed, making Val move her feet to accommodate her. Christa went to the head of the bed and muttered, "Scoot over," before taking her place on the bed beside her youngest sister.

"You said this was a debriefing?" JC asked skeptically.

Sally smiled. "Yes. I think Val would be interested to know what we were doing before she called base about the attack on Thunderbird Five."

Christa groaned. "Oh, no. You want to tell her about all that? About Operation Blackmail?"

"And about Daddy catching us at it?" Mae added, her pretty face creased with concern.

Val sat up straighter, frowning. "Hey! What do you mean, Operation Blackmail? You were supposed to wait for me before you confronted Penny about Dad."

"We couldn't wait any longer, Val. She showed up out of the blue and since Mae had the... ahem... blackmail materials with her, it was the perfect opportunity," Sally explained. She began to tell Val all about the bonfire on the beach and the confrontation between the four Tracy girls and the London agent. Each of the sisters took a turn with the story, adding their own point-of-view.

"She had just gone back to the house, and Sal had said something about being glad that Daddy hadn't come back with the blanket when we heard his voice saying 'Who said I didn't?', Christa explained. "I tell you, Val, I nearly jumped a meter when he came up to the fire."

"Yeah, and you could have heard a pin drop in the sand afterwards," JC chimed in.

"What happened next?" Val asked, her frown long gone and replaced by extreme interest in the story.

"A big father-daughter conversation, that's what," Sally told her with a sigh. "He told us that he was disappointed with us and that he wanted the pictures. We told him that we did it for him, that we didn't think she was right for him. That led us on to... other matters."

"Yes, Val!" Mae leaned over eagerly. "Christa told Daddy about her and Brains...."

"What?!" Val exclaimed, glancing over at the sister sitting next to her, who colored pink.

"And we all found out that JC has a boyfriend...."

"You do?" Val asked, an incredulous expression on her face as she turned to JC. The aquanaut muttered, "Tell you later," under her breath.

"And, best of all, Sally told Daddy about... Eddie Houseman!"

"You _didn't_!" Val cried in utter surprise. Sally sighed again and nodded.

The youngest Tracy sat back. "Wow! That was some father-daughter session." She shook her blonde mane. "So, what did you come up with, Mae? What dirt did you get on Penelope? Do I get to know? Or does my friendship with her exclude me from the group?"

"Only if you want it to," Sally said. She indicated their other blonde sister. "Daddy wants all of the pictures. Mae's going to hand them over, but not before we get to see them." Sally's scrutiny fell on Val. "You up for it?"

Val took a deep breath, and nodded. Mae smiled, and opened the packet of pictures that she had been holding. Passing out a picture to each of her sisters, she said triumphantly, " _Here_ is the dirt."

Eyes widened around the bed and JC let out a low whistle. Mae passed another shot to Sally, who passed hers to JC, and on around the circle until they ended up in Valentina's lap.

"How did they get away with _that_?" "I know that the French are more tolerant of this kind of behavior... but on a _public_ _beach_?" "Whoa! That one's a surprise!" "Daddy is _not_ going to be happy if he sees these."

"Who is this guy anyway?" Val wanted to know.

"François Lemaire. The fashion designer," Mae answered promptly. Val closed her eyes and shook her head. She gathered up the pile of photos and handed them back to Mae.

"Part of me doesn't want to believe it, but I do," she said sadly. Christa put an arm around her sister's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Val," Mae said penitently. "I know that you think a lot of her."

"I did. I still do. But this makes me realize that she is very human. It's knocked her off the pedestal I put her on," Val explained. She smiled slightly and reached out for Mae's hand. "It's okay, Mae. I'd rather know than not know." Mae took the outstretched hand and squeezed it.

"Now we're all on the same page with the Brit bitch sitch," JC said mildly. "But what about the rest of the action?" She turned to Val. "What happened up there?"

There was a long silence. Sally looked at her nails, while Christa squeezed Val's shoulder with her hand. JC gazed steadily at Val, who wouldn't meet her eyes. Mae's eyes flicked from one sister to another. At last, Val took a deep breath and let it out quickly, then, in a soft, hesitant voice, began her narrative.

"I was doing what I normally do, just checking the monitors, putting things on automatic and watching the weather telemetry before hitting the hay. Suddenly, there was this shudder through the station and all kinds of alarms went off. Mostly malfunction alerts. I managed to pinpoint the problem: the space scanners had been holed clean through. Then, as I turned towards the viewport, I caught a flash of something pass by really, really fast. So fast, I thought I'd imagined it. But then there was another shake, and more alarms went off. The deflectors were offline; the outer ring had been pierced. I didn't know what was going on, but thought it was wise to put on a space suit.

"When I came back from getting a suit, I discovered that the medical bay had been holed. Life support was failing, and more and more of those... things were passing through the station as if they were a hot knife through butter. Things were decompressing and the station was losing oxygen. That's when I called home. I knew I had to before I lost power altogether. I think that's when the frequency antenna was hit. I finished with the suit just as a... whatever it was... came through the monitor room. That's when I headed for the duplicate monitor room, hoping that it had been spared. I hadn't been there long when power shut down, and the artificial gravity with it."

She stopped for a few moments, swallowing. Her eyes glistened with tears, and her emotions were evident in the tone of her voice as she finally gathered the courage to continue.

"It was so quiet. All I could hear was my own breathing and the sound of my pulse throbbing through my temples. I could look out the viewport and see the stars, and for a long time I did just that as a way to keep me sane. The cold seeped in slowly and I guess I started to curl up to conserve my body heat. Not that it would help, not in the suit. I kept thinking about home and wondered if I would ever see it again. The lights on my face plate began to fade out and the place seemed to get darker. I think I was asleep when you and Mae showed up, Sal. I didn't feel you touch me but when your helmet bumped mine I startled awake, my heart pounding! I've never, ever been so happy to see anyone or anything in my life as I was to see you two." She looked at Mae then at Sally, tears running down her cheeks. "I thought that maybe you'd forgotten about me...."

Sally got up from the end of the bed and shooed Christa from her place next to Val. Sitting on the edge of the bed nearer to Val, she reached out and gathered her now sobbing little sister into her arms. Gently rubbing her back, Sally whispered in her ear, "We would never, ever forget you. We would never leave you up there, not as long as we had the means to get you down. And you know that Daddy would move heaven and earth to get to you, to bring you home. He'd do the same for any of us. At any time. In any place."

"I know. I think it was my imagination running away with me in the dark and the silence."

Sally continued to hold Val until the younger woman stopped sobbing. JC brought the tissue box over and offered it to Val, and to Mae, whose face was also covered with tears. Pulling back, Sally smiled at Val, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I think it's time you got some rest. We'll be back later, okay?"

"Okay."

Sally gave her a last squeeze before getting off the bed and heading for the door. Mae and Christa embraced Val in turn before following Sally out. JC gave Val a small salute and turned to go, but Val stopped her.

"Jayce?"

"Yeah, Val?"

"Um, could you get me some... chocolate?"

JC grinned. "Sure. Dark or milk?"

"Milk. The kind with the little toffee and almond chips in it."

"I'll see what I can do."

"I've got some in my stash. It's in my...."

"I know where it is."

Val raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yep."

Val blinked a couple of times as JC chuckled, winked at her, and walked out, leaving Val to contemplate the ramifications of this latest revelation. 


	12. Making Some Headway

Afternoon found Brains in the lab, beginning a series of tests on the object that JC had retrieved from the sea. Tin-Tin stood by, making sketches of the object, both as it was and as it must have been before its collision with the Pacific.

"Th-The metal is very dense," Brains commented into the lab's computer. "The d-density rivals that of, uh, lead." Turning to Tin-Tin, the scientist said, "I'll work on determining the chemical c-composition while you take, uh, measurements of the object. But first, s-see if you can get the duty logs from, uh, the Thunderbirds. Sally should have b-brought the black box from Th-Thunderbird Five."

"Right away, Brains," Tin-Tin said, putting down his sketch pad and calling the Thunderbird pilots to join them in the lab with the necessary recordings and sensor readings.

* * *

Jeff sat back in his desk chair, looking over the portraits of his daughters. His gaze lingered on Valentina's. He took in every detail of her features; the smooth cheeks, the bright blue eyes, the full lips stretched over the gleaming teeth in a happy smile, the long golden hair styled just so. She looked so young and vibrant and Jeff's heart jarred within him as he closed his eyes and swallowed.

_I could have lost her today._

His eye moved down the row to Sally's portrait. Her black hair, so straight, gleaming in the light, her blue eyes in that firm gaze, the dimples showing on either side of the smile, which quirked up a little more on one side than the other, all combined to remind him of pictures that he saw of his own mother when she was young. His heart now swelled with pride, and he smiled.

_I could have lost Val today. But I didn't. Because of Sally._

He let his gaze wander to the picture closest to his desk, to the portrait of the young woman with the model's face and the white blonde curls that framed it. Her smile was electric, and Jeff's own smile widened as he drank in every nuance of the blue eyes, the straight nose she inherited from him, all the parts of her face that were put together to create a woman whose beauty had been sought after by men from around the world.

_I didn't because of Sally... and Mae._

He looked back down the row, at the picture of the chestnut haired woman who made his heart ache every time he looked at her. She looked so much like his beloved Lucille. The warm brown eyes looked back at him, and her smile, the duplicate of her mother's, lit up her face, the face that was often so filled with emotion when she played her piano or so serious when she painted or sketched.

_Christa did her part to keep the island from danger._

Jeff now transferred his gaze to the portrait of his daredevil, his prankster, and sometimes, his most serious of children. Her short copper-tinted hair, so different from her sisters, proclaimed her individuality, as did her light-brown eyes and her wide cheekbones. But even though she looked different from the others, there was still a resemblance between her and her sisters, particularly with Mae. Her smile, shy but genuine, moved him to sigh in deep contentment.

_And Jerrie brought back the evidence we need to figure out what happened and where this attack came from._

He nodded to himself, pleased and proud of his progeny.

_I couldn't ask for more._

He let his eyes travel back down the row, and as he stopped at Mae, he suddenly remembered something.

_Mae... oh yes, the pictures._

Jeff lifted his wrist communicator to his lips. "Dad to Mae. Come in, Mae."

Mae, who was in the lab with the rest of the girls, watching as Brains and Tin-Tin explored the thing that had holed her Thunderbird, jumped at his call. She exchanged glances with Sally, then answered his hail.

"Mae here. What do you need, Daddy?"

"I believe you have some items that I asked for last night?"

Mae's shoulders slumped. "Yes, Daddy. I believe I do."

"Please bring them up to the lounge... now."

"Yes, Daddy. I'm on my way."

Tin-Tin gave her a puzzled glance, but Mae didn't elaborate. Christa reached out to give her arm a squeeze, while Sally murmured, "You want us to go with you?"

Mae shook her head. "No. Brains needs you here to explain things."

"Okay, but tell us what he says and does," Sally instructed her. "And remind him that we were all in on it."

"I will if I have to," Mae told her. Then she turned and left the lab.

Without turning from her examination of the metallic blob, JC asked softly, "Do you think he'll be hard on her?"

"I don't know," Sally replied. "I hope not."

Mae went back to her quarters. She rooted around in her suite, pulling out packets of photos from the oddest places. From under her sofa cushions, behind her bed's headboard, from under her bottom dresser drawer. Finally she had gathered six more packets to add to the pile in her satchel.

_Hmm. Where did I leave the disk?_

She searched in her closet, putting her hands in her uniform boots, then in her bedroom slippers. She frowned, and stood up, banging her head on one of the closet's hanger rods.

"Ow!" She rubbed her head and turned, and there, the round rod threaded through its center, was the data disk she wanted. Carefully, she lifted the bar out of its bracket and slid the disk off. Leaving the closet, she added the disk to the bag, and went to meet her father in the lounge.

"Ah, there you are, Mae," Jeff said, trying to be upbeat and stern at the same time. "Let's see them."

Mae sighed as she approached her father's desk. She looked him in the eye for a long moment, then she upended the satchel on his desk. Neatly packaged envelopes of photographs spilled out, sliding over the desktop. She moved them around, dropping one to the floor by accident as she searched for the data disk. Jeff squatted down to retrieve the errant packet as she found the disk and handed it to him.

"Is this all of them?" he asked.

"All that I could remember hiding. If I run across any more, I'll bring them to you," she replied softly.

"Very good, Mae. This will not happen again, understood?" Jeff said, fixing a stern eye on her.

"I understand, Daddy. It won't happen again," a crestfallen Mae returned. Jeff put a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to his, smiling slightly

"I'm glad to hear it, Mae. You're dismissed." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

Mae turned to go, her satchel clutched in one hand. As she reached the ornate grille that separated the lounge from the study, she turned around. Jeff was counting and stacking the packets.

"Daddy?"

He glanced up at her. "Yes, Mae?"

"Don't look at the pictures."

One eyebrow went up. "Oh? Why not?"

"You won't like them. And if you see them, you won't like her any more either."

"Don't worry about it, Mae. Go back to the lab and help Brains as much as you can. Then make sure you get some sleep and tell your sisters the same from me. You all had a long night last night."

Mae nodded, and left the room. Jeff held up the disk in one hand, and a packet of prints in another. He looked from one to the other, then sat down and slipped the disk into his computer. His graphics program automatically read the data and the first image came up, big and bold, on his monitor screen. His eyes widened and he slid back suddenly in his chair.

_Oh. My. God._

* * *

Every eye turned to Mae as she walked through the door to the lab. Brains turned back as soon as the intruder was identified, but Tin-Tin crossed to her, taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze. He did not relinquish it until she was back among her sisters.

"Well?" Christa asked.

Mae sighed. "He wasn't too upset. Just wanted me to promise that it wouldn't happen again."

"No shouting? No cussing? No lecture?" JC queried.

"No. None of that. He did tell me that once we're finished here he wants us to get some sleep." She sighed again. "I told him not to look at the pictures."

"Why on earth did you do that, Mae?" Sally asked, looking askance at her younger sister.

"I dunno. Just didn't want to be the reason he stopped liking her, I guess." Mae shrugged.

"Well, it's over and done with and the ball is still in Daddy's court," Christa recounted, absently rubbing her arm. "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough what he decides to do about the Brit bi...."

Sally stopped Christa's next words by putting a hand to her sister's mouth. She made a significant motion with her head towards Brains and Tin-Tin. Christa nodded once, and Sally let go.

"As I was saying, we'll find out soon what he decides to do about Lady Penelope."

Brains spoke without looking up. "B-Bitch is the, uh, appropriate word, C-Christa. You needn't, uh, soft-pedal things to m-me."

"Nor to me," Tin-Tin added. "I like blondes, but not icy ones."

The girls glanced at each other, and began to laugh. "Can't put anything past these two, can we?" Sally said between chuckles.

"N-No, you can't. A-And you'd best, uh, remember it, Sally Ride Tracy," Brains answered with a smug tone.

* * *

Penelope was enjoying a quiet day by the poolside. Her porcelain skin, well slathered in sunscreen, was clothed in a tiny pink bikini. She wore high heeled sandals, with a large pink daisy positioned over the vamp of the shoe, and a wide brimmed straw hat with a bit of pink gauze decorating the band. She was reading a fat, period romance through her pink rimmed sunglasses, and she reached for the fresh lemonade that Parker brought to her from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Parker. That will be all."

"Yus, milady." With that, Parker took himself off to the air conditioned games room, where he planned on shooting a solo game of billiards, accompanied by a cold bottle of good beer.

Yes, Penelope was enjoying herself immensely. The pool area, usually a noisy and splashy place, was pleasantly deserted. Not a single Tracy daughter was on hand to spoil the sweet serenity of the day. The thought of the blackmail scheme that the Tracy girls had presented her with the night before rose in her mind, but she quickly squelched it. No matter what they did, she would come out on top and, if she played her cards right, become the second Mrs. Jefferson Tracy.

_Hmm. Perhaps I could get Jeff to join me in the Jacuzzi. There's no telling what could happen in a hot tub. Especially in the absence of his bloody daughters._

She was still rolling the thought around in her mind when her compact buzzed for attention. She dipped her hand into the straw bag beside her lounger and pulled out her communicator. Opening up, she smiled to see Jeff's face looking back at her.

"Ah, Jeff. I was about to call and ask you to join me in the Jacuzzi. It's so lovely out here that I thought we could share..."

Jeff cut in. His face was impassive and his tone curt. "Penelope, please join me in the lounge right away."

Penelope was confused by the brusque tone. "Of course, Jeff. But what....?"

"I will see you in a few minutes. Jeff Tracy out." The mirror returned, reflecting her puzzled face.

"Oh, dear. And just when the sun was in the most convenient place, too." She pulled a sheer pink tunic from her straw bag and slipped it on over her head. It covered her from shoulder to mid-thigh, but was so translucent as to not be there at all. She tucked her book in the bag, and made her way up the stairs to the lounge, where Jeff awaited her.

* * *

"You girls look all in," Tin-Tin said, glancing up at Mae's face and seeing how she sagged. "You should get some sleep."

"Y-Yes," added Brains. "This chemical a-analysis will take, uh, another hour. Get some r-rest."

Sally nodded. The adrenaline from the night's activities had finally worn off and she was feeling worn out. She glanced at each of her sisters.

"They're right. I'm headed for bed," she told them, punctuating her sentence with a face-splitting yawn. "Talk to you all later." She left her stool and the lab. JC nodded to her siblings and the scientists and followed Sally. Mae gave them a tired wave, and tugged Christa's arm.

"Wait just a moment, Mae," the petite pilot said. She walked over to give Brains a peck on the cheek, a small kiss that turned into something far longer and more personal as the engineer's head turned toward her and their lips met instead.

"Goodnight," Christa said as she joined Mae and headed out to the monorail, where Sally and JC waited. Tin-Tin and Brains exchanged glances, and Tin-Tin grinned.

"I-I am informed that, uh, M-Mr. Tracy is aware of my liaison with C-Christa," Brains said offhandedly.

"And Mae told me that I had to make a decision between her and Valentina because her father now knows about my... uh... affection for them both."

"I, uh, feel like I'm w-waiting for Mount V-Vesuvius to erupt."

"Me too, Brains. Me too."

The two worked quietly for the next hour, measuring the object, trying to scrape off bits of it with different sharp instruments to see what would dent or scratch it. They heated it to find its melting point.

"N-Nothing seems to damage this metal!" Brains cried in exasperation.

"You're right, Brains," Tin-Tin agreed, frowning. "You know, it reminds me of cahelium."

Brains's eyes grew wide behind the thick lenses. "C-C-Cahelium! Of course! A-And not just any cahelium!" The scientist rushed over to the chemical table. "Oh, no!"

"What, Brains, what?" Tin-Tin cried, as he followed the genius.

Brains read off the results of the chemical analysis, then turned and locked eyes with the Malaysian. "My f-fears are now confirmed. This projectile... someone has d-discovered how to make F-Formula C30/1! The same m-material we used to build the Mole's borer. It can c-cut through any known metal, including the cahelium that w-we used to build Thunderbird F-Five!" 


	13. A Price To Pay

"But how, Brains?" Tin-Tin asked, spreading his hands. "How did someone get hold of the process for making Formula C30/1? I mean, I'm sure someone could possibly come up with something similar...."

"This isn't 's-something similar', Tin-Tin," Brains said, pulling off thick spectacles to wipe them absently on a handy rag. "This is the, uh, real thing." Sighing, the engineer looked at Tin-Tin with concern. "I-I think your hypothesis of, uh, last evening is the most v-viable one. Those f-fits of yours...."

"Yes. Somehow they are tied in with this mystery," Tin-Tin said, hanging his head despondently and sitting down heavily. "But I don't understand how. I would never betray the Tracys or International Rescue."

Brains laid a hand on the Malaysian's shoulder. "I know, T-Tin-Tin. You would never, uh, consciously b-betray IR. If only there was a way I-I could, uh, monitor you when you had a f-fit. I f-feel that the answer is in your, uh, subconscious."

"Well, Brains, if you come up with an idea or a gadget, I'll be happy to do whatever it takes to solve this mystery." Tin-Tin squeezed the genius's hand. "I guess we'd better get back to work and figure out how these... _things_ ended up holing Thunderbird Five."

"I s-suspect they were fired from somewhere on the, uh, moon, or from a s-satellite in the moon's shadow," Brains theorized. "Shot at such, uh, velocity that the p-projectile passed through the station easily."

"This had to have been planned for some time," Tin-Tin responded, frowning. "Time would have been needed to build the launcher and put it in place. Sounds like the work of a group of people, not just one man."

"You're thinking of the m-man of, uh, many faces?" Brains asked.

Tin-Tin nodded. "I just can't see how this could be the work of one person."

"You may have a p-point," Brains admitted. Moving to the black box, the engineer proceeded to download the recordings into the island's main database. "Let's get b-back to work, Tin-Tin, so we will, uh, have a complete report to give M-Mr. Tracy."

* * *

Jeff sat behind his desk, tapping a pencil on the desk top as he waited for Lady Penelope. He heard the door to the study open, and looked up to see Penelope descending the couple of steps into the lounge. She looked like a beauty pageant contestant, stepping down daintily, her pink bikini covering only the bare essentials and her tunic covering barely anything at all. He drew in a deep breath at the sight of her, then the memory of the pictures he had just viewed came swimming to the front of his mind and suddenly, he let the breath out quietly.

She smiled at him, that winning smile that had made his heart beat a little bit faster... once upon a time. He rose politely as she approached.

"Please sit down, Penny." Jeff's tone was non-committal as he gestured to a chair near his desk. She gracefully sat down and crossed her shapely legs at the knee. He came out from behind his workspace and leaned against the front.

"What's this all about, Jeff?" Penelope asked solicitously. "You sounded so... cold... when you called me up here."

Jeff said nothing, just held out a packet. Penelope took it with a small smile, and opened it. Her face twisted into an angry mask as she pulled out the contents and she muttered, "Those lying little bitches! They told me...." She stopped suddenly and looked up as she realized that the father of the "lying little bitches" was gazing down at her, an eyebrow raised, his face unreadable.

She closed the packet decisively and handed it back to him, her cheeks aflame. "So, the girls told you," she said sharply.

"No. They did not. I happened to overhear part of the conversation. As a matter of fact, I left a blanket nearby on the beach so that I could observe how you and the girls got along when I wasn't present," Jeff told her.

"Well," Penelope said, a small, relieved smile on her lips. "Then you saw how they treated me."

"And I saw how you answered them," Jeff shot back, the anger in his voice undisguised. "Then, after you left, I came forward and told the girls how disappointed I was in them. I told Mae I wanted all the copies of the pictures, hers as well as her photographer friend's. She brought these to me not long ago." Jeff looked down at the well polished toes of his shoes. "I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Mae even told me not to look at the pictures because, as she put it, I 'wouldn't like you any more'." He raised his eyes to meet hers squarely. "But my curiosity got the better of me. I had to see what had gotten you so angry that you threw the pictures into the fire."

Jeff sighed. "Mae was right. I shouldn't have looked at the pictures. Now I can never look at you again without seeing you... with him."

Penelope rose to her feet, pushing back the alarm she felt. She pressed herself to Jeff, putting one hand on his shoulder and the other alongside his face.

"Jeff. François means nothing to me. He was just a pleasant diversion. You... you are the man I really love. You can't fault me for what I did. It's not like you had spoken or had laid a claim on me. I was waiting for you, Jeff. But... a girl _does_ get bored just waiting." She smiled at him, then closed her eyes and moved her lips toward his.

Jeff took her by the wrists and extricated himself from her grasp, throwing her off balance. She took a step back, puzzled, as Jeff put the desk between them.

"It's not just that, Penelope. I've always wondered why you wanted _me_ , why you passed up men so much more handsome and younger for me. And having seen the pictures, I decided to look a little deeper into your possible reasons for pursuing me." He turned his computer screen around to face her. "This is what I found."

Penelope sniffed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "So? What does that mean? Why should a few paltry dollars come between us?"

"Penelope, Creighton-Ward Manor is mortgaged to the hilt. You have to have sightseeing buses come through just to keep it running. You've sold all your jewels and replaced them with paste replicas. Parker hasn't been paid for a month now, and Lil left when she got a better offer. Penelope, you're nearly broke and you've been dancing on the edge of bankruptcy for quite some time." Jeff looked at her and said softly, "Almost as long as I've known you. And definitely as long as you've pursued me." He straightened up. "My mother would have called you a gold-digger. And she would have been right."

There was a long silence. Penelope stood there, arms crossed, a haughty look on her face and in her stance. Jeff locked eyes with her, not backing down, his face expressionless, until finally she glanced to one side and would not meet his gaze again.

She sniffed. "So. What does this mean? Am I to be bounced not only out of your life but out of International Rescue as well?"

"No. I think I agree with my daughters there. You are a valuable agent and one that I cannot afford to lose. So you will remain as our London agent, if you so desire. And, I will pay you a generous stipend as well. Something to help you... keep up appearances."

"And Valentina? What of her? You do realize that she and I are good friends."

"I know. And I won't stand in the way of that friendship. Just let us know when you are coming to visit and you will be welcome." He picked up his pencil and tapped it against his chin. "Though, knowing how long it took for me to acquire these photographs, and knowing my girls as I do, I would venture to say that Mae showed them to her sisters. Including Val. You may not find your reception there as warm as before."

"I will take my chances." Penelope eyed the packets on Jeff's desk. "What will happen to the photographs? Will you let them be published?"

"No," Jeff said mildly. "You may dispose of them as you wish. Oh, and you'd better take this as well." He held out the data disk to her. She stepped forward smoothly and plucked it from his fingers, then dropped it to the floor and stomped on it with her heeled sandal. The shiny plastic disk shattered beneath the force of her blow. She left the pieces there and turned to leave.

"You and I would have made a wonderful couple, Jeff," she said, as she reached the steps to the study and turned to face him. Then she sneered, "It's strange. I would never have taken you for such a prude. After all, you and your precious Lucille must have carried on quite a bit to have produced five girls. Too bad you lost the knack when you lost your wife." She waved in the general direction of the desk. "Burn them." Then she turned again and stalked out.

Jeff sat back in his chair, blowing out a large breath and shaking his head. He tapped his chin again, and then reached over to toggle a switch on his household intercom.

"Kyrano? Do you know where Parker might be right now?"

Kyrano thought for a moment, putting aside his gardening magazine. "I believe he is in the game room, Mr. Tracy. I took two bottles of beer to him some moments ago."

"Thank you, Kyrano."

"You are welcome, Mr. Tracy."

Jeff thought for a moment more, then flipped the switch for the game room.

"Parker, this is Jeff Tracy. Are you down there?"

Parker finished his swallow of beer and put up his cue. "Yes, Mr. Tracy, Oi'm 'ere."

"Would you please come up to the lounge? I have a... business proposal to discuss with you."

* * *

In a old stone temple deep in the jungles of Malaysia, a lone figure stood before a statue. The statue of a young man in the prime of his life. A handsome young man with almond eyes and a ready smile. Flames danced around the image, making eerie shadows on the stone wall that curved behind the sculpture.

The figure contemplated the stone replica of the young man, then shook its head. _Not yet. Not yet. But soon, my nephew, soon I will call upon you again to aid me in my acquisition of everything Jefferson Tracy holds dear. Starting with the destruction of International Rescue!_


	14. Explanations And Hearsay

"Uhhhh...."

Sally groaned and rolled over, smacking her hand against her alarm clock. She squinted at the digital readout, and flopped back onto her bed.

_Damn. 1800 hours. Gotta get up and get dressed... for dinner with the Brit bitch._

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Stretching, she yawned and stood, her silk chemise falling into place. Without a backwards glance at the comfortable bed she had just left, she shuffled into the bathroom.

Nine minutes later, the alarm rang again. Sally opened her bathroom door and threw her hairbrush at it. Her aim was good, the clock fell to the floor with a crash and the lighted display went dark. Smiling slightly, she returned to her ablutions.

Thirty minutes later, Sally, dressed in a sleeveless sapphire blue dress that set off her eyes, approached her father as he stood, leaning on the balcony rail, watching the sun set.

"Hey, Daddy."

"Hello, Sal," Jeff said, turning to her. He looked her up and down, then met her eyes, a puzzled expression on his face. "You look lovely, Sally. All dressed up and nowhere to go?"

Now it was Sally's turn to look puzzled. "Uh, no, Dad. I'm dressed for dinner."

The light went on in Jeff's mind, and he nodded sagely. "Ah! I see. Well, you needn't have. Lady Penelope is gone."

Sally's eyes went wide. "Gone? Just like that?"

Jeff turned back to the sunset. "Yep. Just like that," he said softly. Sally could hear the tinge of regret in his voice. She moved to stand next to him, leaning back on the rail and looking him in the face. Her heart constricted to see how worn and old and sad he seemed.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. Really I am. I should have just left things the way they were."

Jeff shook his head. He reached out and put a hand on Sally's. "No, Sally. It's okay. I'm just sad that I didn't see things clearly before. You and your sisters gave me plenty of hints on the way you felt about Penelope. I should have listened a little more closely." He took her hand in his own and squeezed it. "Your mother was a wonderful woman, one that someone like Penelope couldn't hold a candle to." He sighed, then smiled. "But perhaps there's another wonderful woman out there for me. Someone you girls will like and can look up to. Someone... more my own age."

Sally sniffled. She didn't know if it was the lack of sleep or the accumulation of so many hours of worry, but suddenly she found her eyes were wet, and with a sob she turned to her father.

"Oh, Daddy!" she cried as she put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

Jeff put his arms around her, lacing the fingers of one hand into her thick dark hair. He held her tightly for a moment, then pulled back.

"Hey, hey now! What's this? There's no need for tears, Sally. Everything has worked out for the best. True, I wasn't too pleased with the way you girls went about this, but it's going to be fine, just fine. Now, dry your tears. It's time we went down to dinner."

Sally gulped some air and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She smiled tremulously at Jeff, who smiled back and then kissed her on her forehead.

"Better now?" he asked as he saw her calming. She sniffled once more and nodded.

"Come on, Sally," Jeff said, offering his arm. "Let's eat."

"Okay, Daddy," Sally murmured. She took his arm and he reached over with his free hand to cover hers and together they walked down to the dining room.

JC turned as father and daughter walked in. She was dressed in a cool linen skirt and sleeveless blouse, the skirt in her favorite color, orange.

"Hey, where's Her Nibs?" she asked as Sally sat in her usual place at Jeff's side.

"She's gone," Jeff said simply.

JC frowned. "You mean I got all dressed up for nothing?" she asked, exasperated.

" 'Fraid so, Jerrie," Jeff replied apologetically. Mae and Christa entered the dining room together, looking around then glancing at each other. Christa shrugged, and took her usual place beside Sally. Mae slid into her seat beside Jerrie. All eyes turned toward the door as Ruby came in, an arm around Val's waist. The youngest Tracy smiled softly to see her family all gathered together.

"Brains said that Valentina could eat with everyone tonight," Ruby said firmly, escorting her youngest granddaughter to her accustomed seat.

"Where _is_ Brains?" Christa asked as Kyrano came out with a warm plate full of fried chicken.

"Brains and Tin-Tin are still working in the lab," Kyrano answered. "I have taken a tray to them there."

"Uh... Daddy?" Mae asked as the chicken was passed to her.

"Yes, Mae?"

"Did you... look at the... you know...?"

There was a long, silent moment where the girls all looked to their father. Ruby looked at Jeff, too, but with a puzzled expression. Jeff's eyes roamed around the table, then he cleared his throat.

"Yes, Mae. I did."

"What's this all about?" Ruby asked sharply. "Does it have to do with the fact that our guest left, and in a hurry?"

"Yes, Ruby." Jeff said quietly. "It has everything to do with that." He took a deep breath. "Let's just say that I discovered some things about... Lady Penelope that I didn't like. The most disturbing one was that she was pursuing me for my money and not because she really cared about me. So, now she's gone. She is welcome here to visit Val with prior notice. And Val can go and visit her whenever she likes. But for the most part, she and I have parted company, at least on a social basis."

There was a longer silence greeting this statement. Finally, Christa spoke up. "Daddy? What does that mean for IR? Will she still be an agent?"

"Yes, she will be. She's in a financial pinch so I'll be paying her a stipend every month," Jeff explained. "She'll actually be on the payroll of Tracy Industries as a consultant."

"That sounds like a good idea, Daddy," Mae said, nodding. "Won't look compromising." She hesitated. "But... what if she decided to...." Her voice trailed off.

"To what, Mae?" Jeff asked.

"To betray IR," Mae almost whispered. The other girls glanced at her, then at Jeff, concern on their faces.

"Mae's got a point, Dad," JC agreed. "She's a spiteful b... woman."

Jeff smiled. "That's where Parker comes in."

"Parker?" Val asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes, Val." Jeff looked positively smug. "Parker. He is now an official IR agent. He'll continue to work for Lady Penelope but I am his real employer. His job is to keep us abreast of Penelope's activities and warn of us anything that she might do to compromise our security. Penelope knows that he's also on the Tracy Industries payroll, so that she doesn't have to pay him out of her stipend, but she has no idea of his upgraded role in International Rescue." He looked pointedly at Valentina. "And she won't, will she?"

"No, Daddy. She won't. Not from me, anyway," Val affirmed. The other girls murmured their compliance as well.

"Good. Now would someone pass the biscuits please?" Jeff asked. The conversation around the table turned to more mundane topics as the family got back down to the business of dinner.

* * *

"Mr. Tracy?"

Brains's voice over his telecomm startled Jeff. He had been dozing at his desk over some Tracy Industries paperwork. He rubbed the back of his neck, stretched his back, and responded.

"Yes, Brains?"

"T-Tin-Tin and I have finished our, uh, analysis. If you would s-step down to the l-lab?"

"On my way," Jeff replied. He stood, stretched some more, and headed to the lift that would deposit him at the monorail terminus. He entered one of the pod-like cars and started in the direction of Brains's hidden laboratory block. His eyes closed as he sat in the little carriage and he shook himself awake.

_After this, I'm heading for bed. I've been up for thirty-six hours!_

The monorail passed through Thunderbird One's empty launch pad, turned a corner at the power house block, then descended a slight grade, stopping midway down the slanted tunnel to deposit him at the double doors leading to the lab. The tunnel, dug from the volcanic rock of their island, was lit all along the way, but still it seemed dim compared to the bright lights of the lab as one of the doors slid open to admit him. He squinted for a moment, and blinked, then his eyes adjusted and he could make out his surroundings and the two people who waited for him.

"O-Over here, Mr. Tracy!" Brains called. The scientist stood before a laboratory table, examining a strangely shaped metallic object. Jeff moved over to give it a good look. He circled the table, inspecting the thing before him carefully before catching Brains's eye to ask, "Is this one of our culprits?"

Brains nodded. "A-As you can see, it took the i-impact with the sea at a considerable, uh, velocity to damage it in any way."

"What's it made of?" Jeff asked, leaning forward to scrutinize it again. He looked up to see the two engineers exchange glances.

Tin-Tin, who was sitting at the computer, was first to speak, "It's made of Formula C30/1. Brains's cahelium alloy."

"What?!" Jeff exclaimed, shocked. "That's been a top secret of ours...."

"We know," Brains said flatly.

"How? How did someone get their hands on this?" Jeff asked incredulously.

The two engineers exchanged a look again, then Brains said softly, "W-We d-don't know. Not for s-sure. Tin-Tin thinks it, uh, has something to do with his f-fits."

Jeff drew in a deep breath to calm himself down. His eyes flicked back and forth between the two scientists, who stood silent under his gaze.

"That's just peachy. There's no way we can know for sure how someone got hold of this, and more importantly, who." Brains began to protest, but Jeff held up his hand. "That's a leak we'll plug later, if we can. Right now I want to know just how Thunderbird Five was holed."

"Well, we have better news there, Mr. Tracy," Tin-Tin began, pulling up a window on his computer's plasma screen to show to his employer. "It seems that someone has hijacked one of the old orbital defense satellites and moved it so that it was aimed directly at Thunderbird Five. Whoever did that would have had to get up to the satellite to arm it with the projectiles and make some modifications so that it would fire solids instead of energy. But once that was accomplished, Thunderbird Five wouldn't have noticed it. There wouldn't have been enough of an energy signature and it could have been outside of the space station's sensor range anyway. Plus," here Tin-Tin paused, "since it was Formula C30/1, the sensors wouldn't have reacted. After all, that's what Thunderbird Three is made out of." He brought up another window. "I'm trying to track down any unauthorized space launchings in the past three months. Not having much luck so far."

"L-Looks like we have to do some fine t-tuning of the, uh, sensor array when we g-get Thunderbird Five back online," Brains stated.

" _If_ we get Thunderbird Five back online," Jeff murmured, his memory of the fear and terror he felt for Valentina coming forward forcibly.

"If?" Tin-Tin asked, concerned.

Jeff looked at him keenly and nodded. "If. I may decide to automate Thunderbird Five instead of bringing it back online as a manned station again. The price would be too much to pay if one of my girls was... hurt."

There was a long silence, then Jeff sighed. "You two have been working hard. Wrap things up here for the night and get some sleep. Tackle the problem with a fresh perspective in the morning. I'm bushed and am going from here straight to bed."

"O-Okay, Mr. Tracy." "Goodnight, Mr. Tracy."

Jeff nodded at each of them then left the lab. The little monorail car waited for him, and he put it in reverse, retracing his route back to the terminus. As he took the lift back up to the main house, he pondered what Brains and Tin-Tin had told him. _If these fits of Tin-Tin's are responsible for our secrets leaking out, how is it being done? Who has the power to drain information from a human mind? And how did they get hold of Tin-Tin? Why him and not Brains? For that matter, why him and not me? No. It just doesn't make scientific sense._

* * *

The villa was quiet and dark. Kyrano had just finished up his work for the day and was heading for bed. _This was a difficult day for Mr. Tracy and his family,_ he thought as he padded downstairs to the suite he shared with his son. _I have never seen Mr. Tracy so tense. I hope that tomorrow will bring better news and a lessening of his trouble._

He entered the suite and moved through it in the dark. The house was calm, but here in his suite there was a disturbance, one he could feel in his bones. He frowned and shook himself, trying to dispel the pressure he felt being brought to bear.

_This feeling... this pressure... it is a compulsion I feel in the very air. But it is not directed at me. Where...?_

Suddenly he heard a murmuring from Tin-Tin's room, a soft voice muttering things over and over. Kyrano listened for a moment, then slid his son's door open silently. The murmuring was louder now, and Kyrano called out, "Tin-Tin? Do you hear me my son?"

There was no answer, but the muttering continued. Kyrano stepped quietly into the room. A small light shone through the open bathroom door and showed the bed, its occupant thrashing about from time to time, tangled up in the sheets. Kyrano approached cautiously, the feeling of compulsion stronger than ever. He caught what sounded like a word or two, a word he felt he should recognize but could not immediately put a finger on. Sitting down on the edge of the wide bed, he listened for a bit more to the mutterings, then, as Tin-Tin's sudden motions rolled him in Kyrano's direction, he grabbed hold of his son's arm at the wrist, holding it in a strong grip.

"Tin-Tin!" he called now in a loud, commanding voice. "Wake up!"

The sense of compulsion abruptly ceased, dissipating like smoke in the wind. Tin-Tin blinked several times and finally opened his eyes. His face took on a confused expression.

"F-Father? What are you doing? Why are you here?"

Kyrano let go of Tin-Tin's wrist, and the young man sat up in bed. He looked around, puzzled, then ran a hand through his thick, black hair and began to untangle himself from the sheets. He glanced up to gaze at his father's worried face again.

"What happened, Father? You look... puzzled."

Kyrano nodded. "I _am_ puzzled, my son. I came into our suite and found you thrashing around on your bed, muttering in your sleep. This is not your usual behavior."

"What _is_ my usual behavior?" Tin-Tin asked wryly.

"Usually you sleep curled up around that teddy bear that Miss Valentina gave you and you think I do not know about and you are... how would Mr. Tracy put it? Oh yes. 'Sawing logs'."

"Hmm. I knew I snored. Va...," Tin-Tin saw Kyrano looking at him intently and decided to be honest with his father. He took a deep breath and confessed, "Valentina has told me I do." He saw Kyrano nod knowingly and went on. "But she's never reported that I talk in my sleep." Then he added quickly, "Nor has Mae."

That last admission had Kyrano raising an eyebrow, but he said nothing. Instead, he studied his son's face. Tin-Tin's dark, liquid eyes, so much like his mother's, brought forth Kyrano's memories of happier times. His work in the Kew Gardens, meeting Samani, their courtship and marriage, their happy days in Paris when Tin-Tin was born... all were gone now. He pushed away the memory of his wife's tragic death and brought himself back to the present as Tin-Tin asked, "Did I say anything coherent in my sleep?"

Kyrano frowned. "It sounded like there were words among the mutterings, but I don't know... there is something nagging at the back of my mind, a key perhaps to this mystery." He shook his head. "And there was a strange feeling... in the very air. As if someone was trying to compel something to happen." He gazed at his son again and Tin-Tin met his eyes. "It vanished when you woke...."

"I don't know, Father. It almost sounds like I had one of my fits or something. I don't remember any dreams or nightmares that would cause this."

The two sat silently for a moment, thinking, then Kyrano sighed.

"There is nothing we can do about this now. You should get some sleep. I believe there is still much work for you to do in analyzing the attack on Thunderbird Five."

Tin-Tin nodded. "You're right, Father. There is. And it's getting late for you, too. You work harder than anyone else around here."

Kyrano smiled. "I live to serve, Tin-Tin." He peered over the foot of the bed, then picked something off the floor and handed it to Tin-Tin. The young man rolled his eyes to see the black teddy bear with the plaid vest in his father's hand. He reached out to take it.

"Goodnight, my son."

"Goodnight, Father."

Kyrano left the room. Tin-Tin lay back, hands behind his head, turning over in his mind the things his father had told him. One thing was certain; this had not been a normal nightmare or dream. He hoped sincerely it wasn't another one of his fits.

On his part, Kyrano prepared himself for slumber, partaking of a small cognac, a habit left over from his days of living in Paris. He sat for a long time, sipping the wine, trying to pin down the clue that teased him with its elusiveness. Finally he finished his drink, and climbed into bed. Perhaps a good night's sleep would make things clear again.

* * *

In that distant Malaysian temple, the figure standing before the effigy of Tin-Tin cursed fluently. Kyrano's intervention had broken the mystic connection with the boy. But the enemy of International Rescue had learned one very vital piece of information: the team members were exhausted from their run-in with the projectiles and its aftermath.

_This is an excellent time to strike,_ thought the villain. _In this tired state, they will make mistakes. Mistakes I will use to my advantage._

A hand reached out to pluck a mask off of the rack, and the master of disguise left, hurrying to wreak destruction somewhere in the world. Destruction on a scale that would necessitate the call to International Rescue. 


	15. To Catch A Runaway

In the day's dark beginnings a stealthy figure emerged from the Malaysian jungle into a large, man-made clearing. On cat-soft tread it approached the perimeter gates of the equipment yard at Gray and Houseman Construction, Incorporated. A silent stalk of the area from the jungle's fringe had already been accomplished, the black-clad shadow probing for weaknesses in the security grid and trying to determine what piece of large equipment would be most useful for its plans. Now it advanced to the fence. Gloved hands attached the ends of a splicing device to the main fiber optic filament that ran through the fence, the dark eyes watching as the current flowing through the filament was diverted through the splicer, making it look like there was still an continuous line of current when, in fact, there was now a dead spot that could easily be cut through.

A pair of wire cutters were wielded, and the fence was breached. Staying close to what shadows there were in the brightly lit yard, the figure inched its way over to the Crablogger. A small laser made short work of the communications antenna. An electronic lock was easily dealt with. The pallid face with its red hair, freckles, and bushy red eyebrows took on a satisfied look as its owner climbed aboard the vehicle.

_This will be the most effective of the vehicles. International Rescue has had experience with it before and will probably follow the same procedures to cut into the cabin of the craft. Whoever comes along to stop it will then be under my control._

The would-be thief lowered a heavy backpack to the floor, then checked over the controls, quickly becoming familiar with them. As the huge machine was brought to mechanical life, a computer screen powered up and asked for a password. The intruder attached a small box to the computer's central processing unit and it began to chirp, a cheerful, regular sound. A red light on the box at last turned green, and the chirp became drawn out for a few seconds. A smile came to the pale face, and a gloved hand removed the cube and popped into a pocket of the black leather jacket.

_The randomizer works well. It tracked down the password in mere minutes. It was foresighted of me to... appropriate such a useful piece of technology. I am sure I will need it later when I confront International Rescue in its lair._

Fingers danced over the keyboard as the intruder programmed in a course. The yellow behemoth began to roll, crashing through the fence as it headed out into the jungle, sawing down and swallowing trees, leaving a path of cleared, turned up earth behind it. The figure smiled widely and sat back in one of the control room chairs, putting booted feet up on a console.

_This should get their attention,_ the villain known as the Hood thought. _Now all I have to do is wait for International Rescue to come and I will have them!_

* * *

The door buzzer at Eddie Houseman's hotel room sounded, waking the occupant. Eddie groaned as he rolled over and noted the time through bleary eyes.

"One a.m.! I didn't ask for a wake up call at one a.m.!" He flung back the covers and sat up, scrubbing his stubble covered face with both hands as whoever was using the buzzer added shouting and pounding on the door to his repertoire.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming! Hold onto your shorts!" Eddie groused loudly as he pulled on a bathrobe. "Who is it, anyway?"

"It's me, Bob. Open up, Eddie! We've got a big problem!"

Eddie stumbled over to the door and opened it for his partner. Bob looked as bad as Eddie felt, gray hair askew, clothes thrown on haphazardly.

"So, what's so important that you woke me up at such an ungodly hour?" Eddie snapped. Bob took a deep breath and began to explain. Five minutes later, Eddie was pulling on his clothes.

"Are you sure we can't shut it down?" he asked the older man.

"Yes, I'm sure. Whoever did this was a pro. Circumvented the alarms, stayed in the shadows so the cameras couldn't get a good shot, managed to hack into the systems and find the activation password, and even cut off the communications antenna so we can't download the override code. I tell you, Eddie, this is serious!" Bob cried, his voice taking on a tone of both frustration and desperation.

"The Crablogger shouldn't get too far," Eddie replied. "It's bound to run out of Superon sooner or later."

"The pulping end, yes. But not the cutter. That's powered by an atomic generator. It will end up hauling the pulper along with it, which will put a strain on the engine. And if that thing overloads...."

"I get the picture," Eddie growled. "Can we get a man in there?"

"At this time of night?" Bob asked, incredulous. "Not a chance. And if it stays on it's projected path, it will hit the town of Siba just about the time that generator would go critical. I tell you, whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing!"

"So what you're telling me is that we have a snowball's chance in hell of stopping this thing?" Eddie asked. Bob nodded. "If we can't stop it...."

"...International Rescue can," Bob said, finishing his partner's sentence. "They've done it before."

"I don't know, Bob," Eddie responded slowly. "I'm sure they have more important things to attend to."

"More important than saving a whole town?" Bob pressed, waving his arms for emphasis.

Eddie stood silent for a moment, then he sighed. "When you put it that way... okay. I'll call International Rescue." He went over to his briefcase and pulled out his satellite phone.

"Good!" Bob exclaimed. "I'll get out to the equipment yard and see what I can do to bring the security grid back online. I just hope they can get here fast!"

"Me, too," Eddie said fervently. He activated his phone. "Calling International Rescue. I have an emergency. Come in please. This is Eddie Houseman calling International Rescue. Do you read? International Rescue, I have an emergency...."

* * *

Jeff started awake as the emergency signal rang through the house. He checked the time, one-thirty a.m. Suppressing a groan, he rolled out of bed and put on his dressing gown, tying it as he headed, barefoot, to the lounge.

"...an emergency. Do you read? This is Eddie Houseman of Gray and Houseman calling International Rescue. I have an emergency. Come in please..." Eddie's voice droned on and on, a note of desperation beginning to creep in as he continued to get no answer.

"Eddie?" Jeff turned at Sally's surprised gasp. Filing in behind her were Christa and Mae, each of them in bathrobe and nighty.

"Eddie? Then we have a problem," JC stated flatly as she made her appearance in oversized football jersey and shorts. "He knows our voices from when he came to try and recruit Tin-Tin for his operations."

"True," Jeff said. "But we can't let this go. We'll have to take a risk that he won't recognize our voices."

"No, wait, Daddy," Christa said suddenly. "Let Val answer him. She was in Thunderbird Five when Eddie came to visit. He'll know her voice as International Rescue but not as a Tracy."

"Good idea, Christa," Jeff said. "Jerrie, get Val up here on the double." JC nodded, then ran from the room. "Mae, come over here. We need to pinpoint where Eddie is calling from using the GPS relay on Thunderbird Five."

"Okay, Daddy," Mae said amiably. She hurried behind her father's desk, sitting in his chair as he activated his computer and its plasma screen. Her manicured fingers flew over the keyboard and a map of the world came up. Smaller boxes appeared, each zeroing in on Eddie's current position.

"There he is, Daddy. He's in the town of Miri, in the Malaysian portion of Borneo," Mae said with satisfaction.

"Good job, Mae," Jeff responded, then his, and everyone else's attention was drawn to Valentina as she entered the room. She was followed by JC and by Ruby, who complained loudly about having her favorite granddaughter awakened.

"Jefferson Tracy, what do you think you're doing?" she asked sharply. "Don't you realize that Valentina needs more sleep? She's still under Brains's care!"

"Can it, Ruby, and sit down," Jeff snapped. "Eddie Houseman is calling with an emergency and she's the only one whose voice he won't recognize as belonging to the family. Now, Val. Come over here and answer this call."

"F-A-B, Daddy," Val said as she crossed the room. Mae relinquished Jeff's seat to her younger sister, and Val flipped a switch on her father's desk.

"This is International Rescue. What is the nature of your emergency?" she asked, her tones both businesslike and soothing.

"Oh, thank God! I was afraid you couldn't hear me!" Eddie said with relief. "Someone has stolen a Crablogger from my equipment yard and it's heading for the town of Sibu. Whoever it was severed the communications antenna so we can't contact them or download the override command. The pulper will soon run out of fuel, but the cutter will continue on, towing the pulper. The added strain on the atomic generator may send it to critical. I'm told we don't have the means to put a man in the command level. Can you help?"

Christa nudged JC. "Not another Crablogger!" she groaned quietly. Sally, who had heard her, rolled her eyes. She remembered their last run-in with a Crablogger very well.

"Yes, we can," Val replied. "Give us the GPS frequency of the machine and the override code and we'll do what we can." Jeff pointed to Sally, who nodded and headed for the entrance to Thunderbird One. Christa noticed this and walked across the room to the rocket painting and her entry slide to Thunderbird Two. Then Jeff tapped Mae's shoulder and made a motion that she should go, and nodded to JC, who returned the signal and left the room, followed by Mae.

"Downloading those figures to you now," Eddie told her. "You do not know how much I owe you. First for saving me from that landslide and for what you're going to do now. If you ever need my help, you say the word."

"Acknowledged. Our vehicles are on their way." Indeed, the lounge shook minutely as Thunderbird One roared out from under the pool and into the night sky.

"Where should I rendezvous with them?" Eddie asked. Val looked over at her father, who shook his head. Outside, the twin rear engines of Thunderbird Two blazed a bright trail through the darkness.

"That won't be necessary," Val said hastily. "Our ships will track it from the air and head it off."

"Oh, okay," Eddie replied, regret in his voice. "I was hoping to meet the people who saved me last time and thank them personally."

"We appreciate your sentiment. I'll pass your thanks onto our people when the job is done. International Rescue out." She closed down communications with him and blew out a breath, shaking her head. "I'd better upload the GPS frequency and the override code to Sally and Christa." She looked up at Jeff. "At least we don't have to ask Penny to retrieve the code for us like last time."

When Jeff didn't respond, Val looked up at him. He was looking out in the distance and frowning.

"What's up, Daddy?" she asked. He looked down at her, concern on his features. He shook his head slowly.

"Something doesn't feel right about this. Why steal a Crablogger? It's not exactly something you can run away in, especially once it runs out of fuel. It's hard to hide, and leaves a clear trail behind itself." He sighed. "I am very much afraid that this is a trap."

"A trap?" Ruby remarked scathingly from where she had sat down after Jeff's sharp words. "And you've sent your girls out to spring it, haven't you?"

"I don't see that I had any choice, Ruby," Jeff retorted, bristling. "Trap or not, lives are at stake here. I'll just have to warn the girls to be extra careful." _And pray that I'm wrong._

* * *

"F-A-B, base," Sally said smartly as she acknowledged her father's concern. "Will be on my guard. Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One. Did you get that, Christa?"

"F-A-B, Sally," Christa acknowledged grimly. "What's the plan?"

Sally, who was flying over the huge yellow machine, contemplated her options. "I think we'd better land at Eddie's equipment depot. Then we can unload the Mobile Crane and go after that thing. It's top speed is only forty miles per hour and GPS indicates it's going about twenty right now. Once the back end runs out of fuel, that will be cut back. The Mobile Crane is much faster."

"Aren't you afraid that Eddie will see you and recognize you?" Christa asked her sister.

Sally made a face. "It's a calculated risk, but one I'll have to take. I'll set One down so that when I get out, the Crane will obscure me as I run across. Hopefully he won't even see me, much less recognize me." She looked at her sensor readings. "I'm over the depot now and will set down."

"F-A-B. I'm four minutes behind you," Christa replied. She heard JC snort behind her. "What's your beef?"

"Sally going to drive again?" JC asked.

"Nope. I'm driving. You and Sally can go up and get inside and Mae can keep me on track," Christa explained. "Right, Mae?"

There was no answer. JC looked at her blonde older sister, and reached out to pull the headphones out of her ears.

"Hey!" Mae cried angrily, glaring at JC.

"Earth to Mae. We're almost at the Danger Zone," JC informed her.

"You could have just told me." Mae sniffed. "You didn't have to be grabby!"

"If you'd been listening to the talkback, you'd already have known it," Christa chided. _I know who's next on Daddy's calendar!_

"There's Sally," JC called, looking at the monitors.

"Right. Let's get this show on the road... so to speak," Christa said. "I'm setting her down now."

Landing and unloading the pod was the work of about ten minutes and then the little group was on its way. Christa had seen Eddie approach the pod as she pulled the Mobile Crane out of it, but she maneuvered the vehicle quickly over to Thunderbird One. JC used the remote to close the pod as Sally climbed aboard.

"Move over, I'm driving," Sally said brusquely.

"Like hell you are," Christa responded peevishly. "You and JC can go topside. Mae can navigate. I'm a much better driver, and besides, if this is a trap, you and Jayce are better equipped for dealing with it."

JC tapped Sally on the shoulder. "She has a point." There was a moment of silence, then, grumbling, Sally took a passenger seat. JC shook her head. _The problem with having five women living in such close quarters is that we all cycle about the same time. Poor Daddy. I'm glad that I'm last on the list for this,_ she thought.

"Everyone secure?" Christa asked. She got a grunt, a "yes", and a sharp "F-A-B". "Okay, here we go!" she said as she floored the accelerator and they took off after the hulking yellow machine.

* * *

The Hood peered at the readouts from the pulper. _Hmm. Not too much longer and I'll have to shut down the processor and then things will get interesting. Where are you, International Rescue? You should have been here by now._


	16. Dangerous Getaway

Christa kept her foot to the floor, accelerating the Mobile Crane to its top speed, dodging the occasional barrel of wood pulp that shot from the back of the Crablogger and rolled into their path. The Crane's six huge tires with their heavy tread bounced as she swerved back and forth over the torn up terrain. Mae kept craning her neck to see if the Crablogger was coming into view. Sally was on her wrist telecomm to base.

"According to Eddie, the machine was on a programmed course that took it past the city. Problem is that it's already deviated from that course enough to put Sibu in danger," Val said, relaying the message.

"What about the reactor?" JC asked, looking over Sally's shoulder at their youngest sister. "Last time Robotics International told us we had to shut down the reactor to stop the thing."

"Seems they built a failsafe into it and made the shutdown process easier. I downloaded the codes to the Mobile Crane," Val replied. She looked at some notes she had made. "But the pulper has to be shut down, too, and Eddie says it was fully fueled. Brains estimates that it will be 20 more minutes before that fuel runs out and the pulper will stop processing the trees. I'm told that if the pulper shuts down with the cutter still going, the cutter goes into 'safe mode'." She grimaced. "Don't know what's so safe about it though...." Her comment was interrupted by Mae's cry of "There it is!"

Inside the control center, the Hood sat up straight as the Mobile Crane finally came into view of the Crablogger's cameras. _At last!_ the villain thought. _I will slow down and let them get close enough to put a operative on top. Then I will shut down the pulper and we'll see what happens._

Christa's no-holds-barred driving closed the gap between the Crablogger and the Crane in a few minutes. "The thing must be slowing down," she observed. "How much longer on the pulper's fuel?"

Sally relayed the message to Val, who asked Brains. "Since the cutter has slowed down, you probably have a few extra minutes before it starts throwing trees."

" _Throwing trees_?!" the four rescuers cried in near unison. "Don't tell me that's the safe mode!" Sally added.

" 'Fraid so, Sal," Val said apologetically. "It keeps cutting the trees and throws them aside since it can't process them."

"We'd better get up there fast, then," Sally returned, resolution in her voice. She glanced at her copper-haired sister. "You with me JC?"

"All the way, Sal," JC replied. "Oxyhydnite cutters?"

"Yeah. I'll get on there first and you pass the equipment to me. Then jump aboard to give me a hand. We'll have to keep our heads low. And don't forget the emergency jet packs." She addressed her other two sisters. "Once we're aboard, you two get out of here. Follow the path until we get the machine to stop. Then you can come back and pick us up."

"F-A-B," Christa said. She focused on the machine in front of her, hoping that the Mobile Crane would fit between the stands of jungle trees and the Crablogger. All too soon, she was squeezing in between the two. Mae glanced at her in awe, and her respect for her older sister went up a notch.

_This must be like flying Thunderbird Two,_ the blonde thought. _It's so big and bulky and so often there's barely just enough room for Christa to set her down at a danger zone. She has to be very precise. No wonder why she insisted on driving!_ Mae turned around to find JC and Sally already gone from the passenger seats. Looking out the back window, she saw Sally giving her a thumbs up from the platform.

"Looks like they're ready," Mae reported.

"F-A-B," Christa replied. "Adjusting course and speed to match."

The Hood smiled, watching as International Rescue prepared to board, a finger tensely poised over a particular switch _. Come now. Come into my parlor._

Sally hung on tightly with both hands in anticipation. JC's grip tightened on both the platform and the oxyhydnite tanks as Mae flipped a switch in the Mobile Crane and the platform began to rise.

"I'll direct Christa, Sally!" JC yelled. "You get up there!"

"F-A-B!" Sally prepared for the jump to the Crablogger as JC directed Christa to the right spot.

"Christa! Right three degrees! Pull forward two meters!"

The Hood kept an eye on the pulper's fuel levels. _Faster, bitches! The pulper will turn itself off in a few moments and then chaos will ensue!_ The monitor showed the platform, bearing two of the IR operatives, rising again to the level of the top hatch. _Much better! Now which one of you will be my victim?_

"Careful, Christa!" Sally cautioned. "The platform is at the right height. Can you close the gap?"

"I'll try to get closer," Christa said through gritted teeth. She turned the steering wheel slowly to the right, bringing the two vehicles together.

"Watch out!" Mae screamed. "Rock!"

"Damn!" Christa swore as she swerved sharply to the left to avoid a large boulder churned up and cast aside by the root extractor in the Crablogger's underbelly. Sally, who had been preparing to jump, fell backwards, slid across the platform, and under the safety rail.

"Sally!" JC lunged for her, grabbing onto her arm with both hands while her legs were securely wrapped around a supporting pole. Sally glanced down for a split second, then looked up to her sister. The determination and pain in JC's face was plain to see: she was not going to let her sister fall, even though her shoulder screamed from its injury. The Thunderbird One pilot reached up to grab onto the platform with her free hand, then, with JC's help, she hauled herself back up to the Mobile Crane's scaffold.

"What the hell....?" Sally started to shout into her telecomm, but JC grabbed her wrist and shook her head.

"No time!" She indicated the huge machine, which, thanks to Christa's quick reflexes, was getting closer and closer. "Get ready to jump!"

Sally nodded, and took up her position at the edge of the platform. The gap closed to a mere meter, and Sally looked down. The tires of the IR machine and the Crablogger were inches apart and traveling at the exact same speed. Sally sent up a silent thanks for Christa's expert driving skills, backed up to the far side of the platform, then took a running jump. She landed squarely on top of the yellow behemoth. Standing up, she braced herself, wrapping a leg around the arm of the Crablogger's crane and holding out her hands for the oxyhydnite tank and cutters.

"Uh-oh," the Hood said, eyes behind the mask widening as the light on the pulper's indicators went from green to yellow and then, after a pause, to red.

JC tossed the cutting equipment over to Sally, who deftly caught it. She was about to join her sister on top of the Crablogger when a loud grinding noise split the air. The two sisters exchanged glances outside, while inside, Christa asked, "What the hell....?" Ahead of them, one of the cutter's grabbing arms snatched up a severed tree, and, instead of feeding it into the sharp rollers of the machine's maw, it tossed the fallen foliage aside.

Both JC and Sally flattened themselves to the tops of their respective perches. Sally called into her communicator, "Christa! For God's sake, get JC down and get out of here! I can handle the Crablogger!"

Christa hesitated. She did not want to leave Sally to face a potential trap all alone. But the decision was taken out of her hands as Mae, a scowl marring her pretty face, pounced on the button that brought the Crane's platform back down. JC looked in through the back window and yelled angrily, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Sally's orders!" Mae shouted back. Their attention was diverted by another tree flying through the air, this one missing the Mobile Crane by a meter. JC swung back into the cab, her face thunderous at leaving Sally behind.

"We'll back off out of range," Christa said, taking command of the situation. "The machine has slowed down and the trees won't be cut quite as quickly. Then we can get close enough to put you on the pulper, JC, and you can climb up to the cutter from there."

"Do it!" JC growled. "I'm not leaving Sally up there by herself."

Christa glared at JC, but slowed down to a near crawl, dodging a couple of discarded trees as they were thrown like missiles from the front of the cutter. But finally, they were far enough behind the cutter to avoid its wild pitches and were able to match speeds once again.

Sally watched from the top of the Crablogger as JC was lowered down and as Christa pulled back out of range. She kept her head down as a sawn off tree swished overhead.

_This thing is as unpredictable as Val's moods!_ she groused to herself. Sliding herself over to the hatch, she tried to open it. _Damn! I'm going to have to cut through after all!_ Rising to her knees, she pulled over the cutting gear that JC had managed to pass to her. She slipped the face mask on, then fired up the oxyhydnite cutter and began to cut a hole through the metal near the thick hatch.

The Hood smiled, almost quivering with anticipation as the cutter's effects were seen inside the control room. Glancing at the monitor, the disguised criminal mastermind noted that another IR operative had managed to clamber aboard the pulper and was making slow, steady progress toward the cutter.

_The timing on this will be tight. I must claim my victim right away and be off before her sibling arrives._ The mastermind pulled a jet pack similar to the one which Sally wore from the heavy backpack, and strapped it on over the black clothes. Then, with gun in hand, the Hood stepped back into a shadowy alcove to wait for the operative.

"Come on, come on! Faster, baby, faster!" Sally muttered as the oxyhydnite-fueled flame slowly outlined a rough circle on the top of the huge machine. With a final hiss, the cutting point made the circuit complete and the thick metal plate fell inward. Her father's warnings fresh in her mind, Sally pulled her gun, and lowered herself carefully into the control room.

Outside, at the far end of the wavering catwalk that connected the Crablogger's cutter with its processing unit, JC watched as Sally's form disappeared into the cutter.

"Dammit, Sal! Why can't you wait for me?!" she grumbled aloud. A swishing noise made her look up, and she flattened herself to the connecting walkway as a sapling flew toward her to crash on the surface of the pulping unit then fall away. The immediate danger over, she rose to try and make her way across the swaying bridge.

Sally surveyed the room, slowly scanning it with her eyes. A slight noise behind her made her swing quickly around and suddenly, like a deer in a car's headlights, she was caught by a pair of glowing yellow eyes. She had an impression of pale skin, and red hair, and a voice greeting her by name. She whispered a desperate "No!" as her body swayed and the mind behind the eyes took possession of her and she swooned.

The Hood stepped from the shadows. "Excellent! I now have the most valuable of Tracy's daughters in my power. He will pay dearly for her return. But I must move quickly!"

Pulling a sturdy harness from the backpack, the Hood fastened it around Sally's form, then dragged her over to the actual hatch of the Crablogger. Propping the pilot against the pole that ran through the hatch and attached to the crane arm outside, the villain quickly went back to the control console and keyed in a code. The doorway shifted to an unlocked position and slid open. Hurrying back, the evil one hooked Sally's harness to the jet pack's straps, pulling them into a sturdy, forced embrace. Then another button was pushed and the crane pulled the two up and outside to the roof.

JC glanced up as the crane activated and saw with horror, Sally, limp and motionless, bound somehow to the body of their most hated enemy and rising to the top of the massive machine. Two jet packs fired, and the yellow-eyed menace rose slowly into the sky with her sister and commander. A scream of despair and terror was ripped from JC's throat.

"SALLY! NOOO!"


	17. A Shocking Exposé

JC pulled out her pistol and braced herself as best she could, trying to target the kidnapper while sparing the victim. But the two were about to be swallowed up in the early morning darkness and it was apparent that to shoot one would mean the death of the other. So, with tears of anger springing up, JC lowered her gun.

"JC to Christa!" she snarled into her wrist telecomm. "The thief has Sally!"

"I see that!" Christa shouted back. "What do we do?"

"You and Mae go after Sal. The jet packs won't take them far," JC directed.

"But JC!" Mae chimed in. "What about you? What about the Crablogger?"

"I'll handle the Crablogger!" JC said as she climbed up the side of the yellow cutter. "Then I'll get back to the equipment depot and pick up whichever Thunderbird you don't take. But hurry! They'll be out of sight in a moment, and near impossible to find in the dark!"

"F-A-B!" Christa responded sharply. She peeled off and made a quick u-turn and headed back down the path, trying to keep the flying duo in sight. JC then turned her attention fully to stopping the forest eating juggernaut.

Climbing up to the top of the Crablogger was difficult, especially with the greenery swishing over her head at regular intervals in the darkness of the early morning hours. Every so often one of the hydraulic arms would slam into another tree as it flung its latest victim back and the machine's aim skewed, bringing the leafy projectile either closer to the side of the cutter or flinging it wide. JC hugged the side of the cutter, thankful for the bright warning lights that flashed at either side of the lead machine and the work lights that outlined the beast, allowing her to see where she was going. At last she made it to the summit of the relentless mechanical monster and slipped into the control room through the hole that Sally had cut.

"JC to base! I need those coordinates now!" she barked into her telecomm between panting breaths. She went immediately to the control console, but before she could sit down, a sudden motion made her look up and out the front view port. The radiation shield was up so JC could clearly see out, and that's how she saw the tree heading straight towards the control room.

"Aaagh!" she cried as she jumped back and tripped, landing on the metal floor. The tree's branches got caught in the bars that covered the clear, heavy duty material of the view port and hung there, stuck.

"JC! Are you all right?" came Val's anxious and concerned voice.

JC shook her head and got up, rubbing her behind. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just give me the coordinates, Val. I've got to shut this sucker down and get after Sally!"

"Sally?" Jeff's voice cut in. "What's wrong with Sally?"

"No time, base. The coordinates!" she growled. Valentina read off the coordinates and JC carefully keyed them into the computer, then hit the "Enter" button. Nothing happened. JC swore under her breath, long and creatively. Then she lifted her telecomm to her mouth again. "Val, does this thing still have a time-delay?"

"According to Eddie, yes. A three minute delay before the reactor shuts down," Val responded tersely. JC could tell that her younger sister was brimming with questions about Sally, but was holding back until JC had time to explain.

 _I've got to wait for the time-delay. Might as well make use of the time._ She activated her telecomm again. Jeff's face filled the tiny screen. "Base, about Sally. She got in here approximately... 15 minutes ago. Five minutes later, the hatch opened and she came out, strapped to a guy with pale skin, red hair... and bushy eyebrows. She didn't seem to be conscious. The guy activated a jet pack on his back, and Sally's jet pack and flew off with her. I sent Christa and Mae after them."

She could hear Val's gasp of horror, and she saw her father's face drain of color. There was a jerk to the picture and she knew he had collapsed, either into his chair or to the floor. In the background, Kyrano's voice was calling, "Mr. Tracy!" and Ruby was ordering Tin-Tin to get some brandy. Then Jeff's voice, ragged and full of emotion, called out, "Just get me a glass, Tin-Tin."

The young man must have been quick about it, because JC could hear a clink, and Ruby saying, "Go easy on that rotgut, Jeff!" Then her father's face appeared again, pale, but resolute, his sapphire eyes hard and sharp with anger.

"You said you sent Christa and Mae after them?"

"Yes, Dad. I sent them to follow the two in the Crane for as long as they could, then get one of the Thunderbirds to follow whatever craft this bastard is using. I figure Sally and her kidnapper couldn't have gotten far; the jet packs aren't made for long range flight. He must have something more substantial waiting nearby. Once this hunk of junk is stopped, I'll make my way back and pick up whatever Thunderbird they left and go in pursuit myself."

"A sound plan, Jerrie. Damn! I wish Thunderbird Five was operational! We could use the sensors to pick up her watch's homing signal!"

Brains's voice could be heard in the background, but JC couldn't make out what was said. Val was speaking, too, and Jeff turned away to listen to them. JC heard him say, "You're sure?" There was more background chatter, then Jeff commanded, "Do it!" He turned back to JC. "Brains and Val think they can access the sensors from here, and patch the signal through one of the subsidiary satellites to Thunderbirds One and Two. Get back to the equipment depot and get Thunderbird One. Christa's on the tri-circuit now, giving us an update. She picked up Two and is following the bastard's helijet, hopefully at a discreet enough distance. They'll need One to force him to the ground. We can't allow him to keep calling the shots. Do you understand?"

"F-A-B, sir," JC returned smartly. She noticed that the Crablogger had finally slowed to a halt. The noise of the saw was gone and the arms had retracted into their sleeves. "This beast has shut down. Better tell Robotics International to take this damn machine's design back to the drawing board again. That 'safe mode' of theirs is anything but safe and it's a waste of dwindling resources."

"I will, Jerrie. In fact, I might just buy them out," Jeff said with a grim smile. "I have no desire to go through this again. Now, get moving. You have a long road to travel."

"Maybe not, base," JC returned. She had heard a loud horn blowing outside. "I may have a ride. I'll get back to you soon. JC out."

Getting out was harder than getting in. It seemed that the three minute delay had been programmed to allow the operators time to get out of the machine. Finally, she found an access ladder to the lower conference room, and another to the outside observation platform. Down in the track made by the behemoth, she saw a truck with the words, "Gray and Houseman" painted on its side. A group of men were piling out and one of them looked up at her and waved.

"Hey! We're here to take over and take this thing back. Charlie here can bring you back to your ship!" he shouted.

"Okay. I'm coming!" JC climbed down from the observation platform and was soon on ground level again. The man who had shouted at her now came up and shook her hand.

"Great work! We really appreciate what you've done for us. Any sign of how this thing got away?"

"Yeah. There was a thief inside, but he got away. My colleagues are tracking him now and I need to join them," JC said quickly.

"Okay then. Just get in and tell Charlie where you need to go. And thanks! We don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been available."

"You're welcome," JC said hurriedly and she turned to hop into the cab of the truck. "I need to get back to your base and pick up my vehicle."

"Sure, honey. Whatever you want." And with that, Charlie turned the truck around and headed back to the equipment depot.

* * *

In Thunderbird Two, Mae was staring at the console that tracked the signal from Sally's watch. She was in a black helijet that had risen from a jungle clearing just as the Mobile Crane arrived back to the equipment depot. Christa had opened the pod by remote and driven right inside, putting on the brakes just in time. She had hopped out and headed for the pod's small access door, shouting over her shoulder, "Mae! Lock that baby down while I get us airborne!"

"F-A-B!" Mae had shouted back, sliding into the driver's seat so she could move the Mobile Crane into lock-down position. Once she had it on the turntable in the center of the pod, she activated the magnetic clamps that would hold the vehicle still during flight. Beneath her feet she could feel the vibrations caused by Thunderbird Two's powerful VTOL jets as they lifted quickly into the sky. By the time she reached the flight deck, Christa was already apprising Jeff of their situation and getting instructions based on JC's information.

"Val is feeding you the coordinates from Sally's telecomm. Whoever he is, he doesn't know about the tracking function in the watch, or he would have either destroyed it or dropped it somewhere," Jeff told them.

"That's a break for us, Dad," Christa said, nodding. "We couldn't even see the helijet that took off. It must be painted matte black and has no running lights whatsoever. We could hear it as it flew overhead, though."

"Stay with it, girls. Jerrie will be joining you as soon as she gets One off the ground. You need to find a place to force this guy down, but do it safely. It's time we took the upper hand."

"That won't be easy, Daddy," Mae piped up. "He seems to know an awful lot about us."

"He might know about our tech, and our methods, but he doesn't understand what motivates us. Nor does he understand that we never give up. Not at any cost," Jeff reminded her. He turned away for a moment. "Jerrie is powering up One as we speak."

"Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One," JC's clipped tones came from the speaker. "I'm airborne and five minutes from your position. What's your status?"

"We're following Sally's signal. The craft itself is painted black and running without lights," Christa replied tersely. "Can you get ahead of him?"

"I'll try to get on top of him," JC said distractedly. She was having trouble with One's controls; it was not a craft she flew often, or well. "Let him know he's being pursued, if nothing else."

"Careful there," Jeff warned both pilots. "I don't want him leading you into a trap."

"F-A-B, base. We'll be careful," Christa answered back.

* * *

"How?! How can they be following me?" the Hood shouted. "They should not be able to see my helijet!" The villain's eyes lighted on Sally, lying bound and senseless on the floor of the flight deck. "She must have some kind of tracking device on her person! But where?"

The frustrated criminal programmed a course into the helijet's computer, one that would take the helijet to a lower altitude and skim over the sea, and engaged the autopilot. "I have no time to search her and find the device," the redhead muttered. "But I must find it! I cannot allow my base to be discovered! I must take a risk and contact my nephew."

Sitting relaxed in the pilot's chair with eyes closed, the Hood's mind emptied of everything save the vision of Tin-Tin. Memory of the statue filled the outlaw's every sense and, with an ease derived from long practice, a snaking tendril of telepathic energy leapt from the enemy's consciousness to that of Tin-Tin's.

In the lounge at Tracy Island, Tin-Tin felt a sudden searing pain pierce his head from temple to temple. He jerked, twisting and falling from Thunderbird Three's couch to the lounge floor with a cry.

"Tin-Tin!" Kyrano cried.

"H-He's having a-another fit!" Brains called, dropping to the younger man's side, and grabbing a wrist to take his pulse. Tin-Tin twitched and writhed on the floor, his eyelids fluttering, moaning and muttering something that could barely be heard. His motions tore his wrist from Brains's grasp.

Kyrano knelt by his son, calling his name, trying to hold him down. Val looked anxiously on from her post at Jeff's desk. JC noticed her sister's distraction on the screen in Thunderbird One and asked, "Val? What's going on?"

"Tin-Tin's having another one of his attacks!"

Suddenly, Kyrano sat bolt upright. "Silence!" he shouted. The rest of the family instantly hushed, shocked by the usually serene man's outburst. In the silence, Kyrano listened intently. Then he turned to Brains. "Quickly! Get a sedative! Give him something to knock him out!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jeff demanded to know, as Brains ran for the nearest first aid kit.

"He is speaking to someone! Speaking to them in Malay!" Kyrano explained.

"Speaking to whom? In Malay? Is that bad?" Ruby asked.

Kyrano looked up at her, and she was surprised at the intensity of his gaze. "Tin-Tin was born and raised in Paris and educated in England and the United States. _He knows no Malay_!" He looked back at his son, his brow furrowed. "I think I finally understand. Tin-Tin has indeed been the weak link in International Rescue's security."

"But how?" Val cried.

"Someone has tapped into his mind from afar, overwhelming his consciousness, and has been extracting information from him." Kyrano held his thrashing son in his arms as Brains, who had returned with a hypospray of sedative, injected the young man. The medication took effect almost immediately and Tin-Tin relaxed in his father's grasp.

"H-How is that, uh, possible?" the scientist asked, pushing thick lenses back into place.

"There are mystic arts, what you would call magic, that allow for such mind control, but it takes a true adept of great power to probe so deeply from a distance. I myself am an adept, but as I do not use my skills, my power is limited." He looked up to meet Jeff's unbelieving stare. "Jefferson. Had I told you this about myself, would you have believed? Would it have made a difference in our friendship? Or would you have feared and shunned me? I do not tell people about what I can do because they will either not believe, or they will believe and fear." He stroked Tin-Tin's hair. "My son has the potential for such skills, but I have never instructed him in their use. It is perhaps this that has left him particularly open to such an attack."

"Dad?" Val said from the desk. " JC wants a word with you."

"All right. Brains? Help Kyrano get Tin-Tin off the floor and onto the couch. Ruby, do what you can to make him comfortable." Jeff turned to the bank of portraits. "Thunderbird One from base. Report."

"The guy's helijet took a dive to a lower altitude and set a course across the sea, heading for the Malay Peninsula," JC told him. "We're still getting a strong signal from Sally's watch but we don't dare take him down yet."

"F-A-B. Continue pursuit until an opportunity presents itself." Jeff paused to think. "In fact, you might ease up on your pursuit. Back off, make him think he's safe. He might be heading for his base, and I'm sure that the police in several nations would like to know just where that is. But stay in contact with me and with Thunderbird Two at all times. If Interpol hasn't found him, it's because he knows how to hide. That means some kind of radar deflector and probably jamming equipment."

"F-A-B, base," JC answered with a nod. "Will do. Thunderbird One standing by transmission."

In the helijet, the Hood had removed Sally's watch, and was inspecting it. "Ingenious. Communicator, watch, and tracking device all in one. I will destroy... no." A crafty gleam shone in the eyes behind the mask. "No, I will not destroy it. I will make use of it and of Sally Tracy... as bait. Let them follow the signal from this instrument and when they have arrived at my destination, I will be waiting to take them all. Then I will have most of the Tracy daughters as well as the most versatile of the Thunderbird craft under my control. Tracy will pay a heavy price to ransom his little bitches, and I will auction off the vehicles to the highest bidder. Perhaps I will demand the plans of the Thunderbirds as part of my ransom and sell those instead, keeping the craft for myself. No matter. I must wait until they are within my grasp before I make plans for their disposal."

The watch was transferred to a well-tanned wrist. A flick of a switch and the autopilot was disengaged. The black helijet flew on, changing course and rising as the land mass called the Malay Peninsula came into sight.

Elsewhere, Mae yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes, shaking her head violently to keep awake. She rose and turned to her sister. "Christa? You want some coffee? I'm going to crew's quarters to make some."

"How can you think about coffee now?" Christa snapped. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Turning as far back in her seat as she could, she sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Mae-Bee. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Between the lack of sleep and the situation with Sally, I'm really angry and frustrated right now."

"All of us are," Mae said practically. "JC is 'specially upset about Sally's kidnapping."

"I know. But it doesn't give me the right to take my frustration out on you. We're going to have to work together to get Sally back, and we can't if we're biting each other's heads off."

"That's right. And we're going to have to be alert, too. That's why I'm making the coffee."

"And it's a good idea. I'll have a cup when it's ready. Thanks for thinking of it."

"You're welcome," Mae said as she left the flight deck. Just before she passed through the door to the chambers on the flight deck level, she called over her shoulder, "For the record, I forgive you. Extra cream and two sugars?"

"Better make it three. I think we'll need all the energy we can get before this is over."

JC flew on in Thunderbird One, concentrating intently on the controls. They were so well-balanced and finely tuned that even the minutest motion in one direction would change her course or altitude.

_How does Sally do this? She must mentally become one with this bird when she flies it. No wonder why it responds so quickly and gracefully to her. The simulator has nothing on the real thing. I'd better get in some more practice with it, and with the big green bug, for emergencies such as this. That is, if Sally and Christa will let me._

Jeff turned from his conversation with JC to find that the lounge was less one occupant. "Where did Kyrano go?" he asked, frowning.

Ruby, who was tweaking the blanket she had spread over Tin-Tin, looked up at her son-in-law and said, "He said something about trying to find out who was behind this attack."

"I-I think he went to, uh, his g-garden," Brains added.

Indeed, in the dark, dewy quiet of the morning, Kyrano trod the well-known path to his flowering garden, his slippered feet crunching slightly on the path of volcanic gravel. He found the center of the place, a peaceful spot with a small bench, a wide wooden swing, and a fountain whose water tinkled softly down the surface of a piece of slate into a bronze basin full of stones. He sat on the bench, breathing deeply of the heady aroma from the flowering bushes that surrounded the man-made glen. Closing his eyes, he could almost name the scent of every blossom that added its perfume to the air, mingling with the sharp tang of the ever present sea.

One by one, he relaxed his limbs, feeling their muscles slacken, then one by one, he shut down his senses. No longer could he feel the cool stone beneath him or the playful breeze that ruffled his silvered hair. No longer could he hear the cry of the sea birds or the background hum of the island's insects. The scents of the blooms that surrounded him faded, as did the taste of his own mouth, sour after that cognac so many hours ago. With his outer eyes closed, his inner eye opened and he reached out beyond himself, searching for that adept, that powerful persona that had been attacking his son. He knew himself to be safe; his own skills rivaled that of any other, and though they had not been used for some time, he was far from rusty. Besides, his knowledge of the Tracy family and its secrets was paltry compared to that of Tin-Tin, who held the very blueprints for their mighty vehicles locked away in his memories.

Flickers of light crossed his inner vision, signs of minds that were aware of this plane, this level of existence. There were thankfully few, and he knew that most of them were asleep and dreaming. Still, there were some brighter beacons, minds that were awake and, like himself, had actively sought this place, looking for enlightenment of one kind or another. He was beginning to despair of his search, knowing the toll this was taking on his aged body, when a familiar and mocking voice grated on his inner ear.

_"Fancy meeting you here... brother."_

Kyrano's inner eye roved this way and that, looking frantically for the source of the hated voice.

_"Finally you realized the truth about your son, eh? Come to find his attacker?"_

A bright, blazing red beacon, like a flame, approached him slowly. Kyrano stared in utter disbelief.

_"No! It cannot be! Not... you!"_

The blaze pressed closer. Kyrano could almost feel the heat generated by the hatred, the evil joy that radiated from the consciousness before him. He felt he was on the edge of oblivion, about to be swallowed by that consciousness, and in self-defense, he ran. Ran back to his body. Ran back to the world of the waking.

He opened his eyes to find himself on the ground behind the stone bench, his fall cushioned by the leafy ground cover that grew there. His heart beat wildly, and he was breathing heavily. His clothes and hair were drenched with sweat. He lay there for a moment, trying to gather his shattered wits and calm his racing heart, then with a groan, pulled himself to his feet. Cupping his hands beneath the fountain's slate, he splashed his face with the cool, desalinated water. Taking a deep breath, he trudged back up to the villa, every step heavy with weariness and despair. For the last thing he had heard before he made his headlong flight from the plane where he had encountered his sibling was:

_"Tell Tracy I have his eldest, and that the others will soon fall under my power."_

All eyes turned to him as he entered the lounge. Jeff's look of hope turned to one of surprise and then a frown of concern as he saw Kyrano's physical state.

"What happened? Did you find out anything?"

The retainer sighed heavily and nodded. "I did. I found out who is behind this. And I was given a message for you."

Jeff mentally braced himself. "What was it?"

"That our adversary has Sally and the others will soon fall, too."

"Damn!" Jeff cried. Valentina got up from behind the desk and went to her father, first touching him on the arm while looking him in the eyes, then wrapping her arms around him. He buried his face in her blonde locks, allowing himself a moment to regain his composure, then he speared Kyrano with a sharp stare.

"We just lost communications with Thunderbirds One and Two."

Kyrano's eyes widened in shock. He glanced over at the portraits. Where once the live feed images of Christa and JC had been, there were now only the painted faces in their uniforms.

"Who?" Jeff's sharp voice cut across the room, claiming everyone's attention. "Who is the bastard that's behind this?"

"Not 'bastard'," Kyrano said softly. "Rather, a 'bitch'. The enemy is my half-sister." Kyrano sighed and hung his head. "Her name is Bella Ghant."


	18. Searching For A Doorway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a little in-joke at the end of the previous chapter. Instead of "Belah Gaat", which is the name the comics give the Hood, I used "Bella Ghant"--which is the last name given both the Hood and Kyrano in the 2004 live action _Thunderbirds_ film.

"Base from Thunderbird Two. Base from Thunderbird Two, do you read? Come in, base," Mae's voice droned, each attempt at making contact with Tracy Island engendering a bit more concern in her tone, until she sounded as if she were near hysteria. "Come in! Oh, Daddy! Please!"

"Forget it, Mae," Christa said flatly. "We're cut off from base and have been ever since that temple place came into view."

Mae moved over to the view port and gazed out at the dark jungle with the old stone temple rising from it, the contours of which were outlined by the light of a half moon. "I don't like the look of it. Reminds me of that old Indiana Jones flick that Daddy showed us."

"It just came out of nowhere," Christa said, gesturing toward it. "I didn't get any readings that it was even there. Look!" She pointed now. "The helijet is landing!"

Indeed, a set of doors were opening to the left of the temple, opening upward and revealing a hidden hangar, lit from within. The helijet maneuvered until the girls could see its silhouette over the gaping hole. They watched as it lowered slowly into the hangar. The doors moved smoothly back down, erasing the signs that there had ever been an entry there at all.

"Can you raise JC?" Christa asked. "I need to know if she saw that, and ask her what our next step is."

"I'll try. Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Two. Come in, Thunderbird One. Can you read me, JC?" Mae shook her head in disgust. "I can't, Christa. Whatever's cut us off from base is also messing up our communication with each other." She tapped a fingernail on her perfect chin. "I wonder how he or they are able to communicate?"

"I wouldn't know. Do you have any suggestions? I've given this place as wide a berth as I could without losing visual. I really don't want to set down there."

"Oh, but you should!" Mae exclaimed. "We're going to have to go in there and get Sally out anyway. If you park Two on that clearing, there's no way he can get away by helijet."

Christa mulled over Mae's proposition. "Y'know? That makes a weird kind of sense. Okay. I'm going back and I'm going in." She nodded at Mae. "Better strap in."

"F-A-B," Mae said as she took her seat again.

* * *

"Base from Thunderbird One! Come in base!" JC called into her communicator. She frowned, then tried another tactic. "Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One! Come in, Christa. Do you read me?" She waited, and when there was no answer, swore under her breath. Touching a switch, she opened the view ports on either side of the cockpit.

"What the...?" she cried as the stone temple came into view. "Where the hell did that come from?" In the distance, she saw the running lights of Thunderbird Two approaching from port. Changing course, she made a wide turn around the ancient structure and pulled up next to Thunderbird Two, matching altitude and speed. _I hope that Christa gets the idea that I want to talk to her. We all know sign language; if I can get her or Mae to the side port... ah! There's Mae now._

Putting the craft on auto pilot, she made quick gestures to ask the question: "Where is Sally?"

Mae, looking out the port, squinted, then replied, "Inside the temple. What should we do?"

"I don't know. Land and we can talk," JC replied with her hands.

"F-A-B," Mae signed. "Follow us."

 _Follow them?_ JC thought with a frown as Thunderbird Two banked and headed back to the temple. Her eyes widened as Christa boldly landed the cargo carrier in a clear area next to the enemy's lair. _Damn! What does she think she's doing?_

A quick turn over the site revealed that there was enough room on the far side of the clearing for her to land Thunderbird One. _Christa better have one damn good reason for parking her butt there!_ JC groused to herself. She gritted her teeth and began to descend toward the empty space. "Easy... easy does it, girl... don't screw this up... Sally will have your hide if you do!" she muttered as, white knuckled, she maneuvered the silver rocket into position next to Thunderbird Two. She put the starboard strut down a second or two before the port strut, then pulled up a bit again to trim the craft, and managed to get both supports down at the same time. Once One was firmly on the ground, JC blew out a sigh of relief and her shoulders relaxed. _That was nerve wracking,_ she thought wryly as she went through the shutdown procedures. Then she grabbed a flashlight and a tool kit and left Thunderbird One's cockpit.

Climbing out through the lower hatch, she used her wrist telecomm to activate the inner winch and retract the rope ladder. Nothing happened. Sighing, she grabbed the ladder and tossed it back up into the cockpit, then stood on her tiptoes to push the button that closed the hatch. Then she headed over to Thunderbird Two.

The body of Thunderbird Two lifted off the pod, and the small access door opened, revealing Christa and Mae. As they walked clear of the green cargo carrier, Christa turned and fiddled with her telecomm watch. A frown creased her delicate features when nothing happened.

"The jammer is working on our remotes, too, Chris," JC explained as she joined them. "We have to shut it down somehow."

"What am I going to do about Two?" Christa asked. "I can't leave her open!"

"Let me take care of it," Mae said calmly. She went back to the pod and opened the access door.

"What's she doing?" JC asked, puzzled.

"Oh no! She's going to activate the hydraulics manually from inside the pod!" Christa gasped. "She could be crushed when Two's cockpit comes down!" Christa began to run toward her Thunderbird, but JC tackled her to the ground when she saw the body of the craft coming down over the pod. Looking up from the grass, she saw a flash of blue and violet heading for the other side of Thunderbird Two just before the fuselage hit the grass.

"Let me up! Let me up!" Christa cried. "We've got to help her!"

"I don't think she needs our help, Chris," JC said mildly, rolling off of Christa, rising, and pulling her sister to her feet. "You forget that Mae's sport is track and field. I'm sure I saw her dash out and clear Two's body just in time. Come on. Let's get around this green behemoth of yours and meet up with her on the other side."

Christa nodded, and they hurried around. As they did, JC asked, "What possessed you to put down here, in full view of this guy's base?"

"You didn't see the helijet land?" Christa asked.

"No, I didn't."

"Well, it landed in a hidden hangar just below our feet. Mae thought I should land here so the helijet didn't go anywhere."

"Hmm. Sounds like Mae's brain is working on all eight cylinders this morning."

They made their way under Thunderbird Two's nose and found Mae waiting for them, her uniform covered with grass stains. She grinned at them. Christa stepped up and shook a finger in her face.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she yelled.

JC moved quickly to clamp a hand over Christa's mouth. "We don't need to advertise our position any more than we have already," she hissed. "Now, any ideas for getting into this place?"

"The front doors are over there," Mae said, pointing helpfully toward the front of the structure.

"You'd go through the front doors? As what, a house guest?" Christa scoffed. "You'd be captured before you took your seventh step."

JC looked from one sister to another, and shook her head. "Look, we need to split up and find a way inside. God only knows what this creep is doing to Sally."

"You're right, JC," Christa said with a sigh. "I guess we split up. There have got to be other entrances."

"Yes, but be careful. We don't know how many people are here, and what kind of surveillance they have going," JC warned. "I'll go around back. You two go around front and we'll meet up on the other side to compare notes. Got it?"

"F-A-B," Christa said. She tapped Mae on the arm "C'mon."

JC scuttled up close to the brick walls of the temple, heading for the back of the structure. Christa did the same, going toward the front. She looked back to see Mae gazing at the temple and hurried back to grab her sister's hand, dragging her along.

"I don't know why you're in such a hurry," Mae groused. "We can't see much of anything anyway. The moon is going down. And sunrise is only an hour or so away. Then we'd be able to see better."

"JC is right about Sally. We just can't wait!" Christa whispered. "Just follow me."

"Okay, okay."

They cautiously made their way to the front of the building, looking for any signs of odd openings. The moon shone down on their position, which made things easier. Christa stopped when she found a thick, straight crack in the golden bricks that made up the base of the temple. There was another similar crack at a right angle at the top, and one at the bottom running parallel to the top one. Christa followed them with her flashlight to find another up and down fissure.

"Mae, look at this," she called quietly. "It's a big door set into the bricks here. Where do you suppose it leads and how could we get it open?" She turned around to see Mae standing some yards away, gazing at the front of the temple with a thoughtful frown on her pretty features.

"Mae! Get over here!" Christa hissed. Mae walked toward her, not taking her gaze from the building's front. Or more precisely, the building's roof.

"What are those funny looking things on the roof called?" she asked.

Christa looked up to see what her sibling was talking about. "Those are pagodas, I suppose," she answered in a near whisper.

"They look like they have doors on them. And are those stairs leading up to that snake and shell thing over the front door? Why do you suppose they're there?"

"I dunno. But look here! Here's some sort of entrance, I think. We just have to get it open." Christa put her booted foot on the outlined rectangle and pushed. Nothing gave. "Come on and help me, Mae."

She looked up again to see that Mae had disappeared.

* * *

"Uhhh." Sally's eyes opened slowly and she blinked. Then she closed her eyes and opened them again. There was no difference between closed and opened. Wherever she was had no light. She tried to wave her hand in front of her face, but found that she couldn't move her hands. They weren't where they were supposed to be either. Finally, the fogginess in her mind cleared and she realized her predicament. She was bound hand and foot in some dark room somewhere.

 _Last thing I remember was dropping into the Crablogger... then... those eyes!_ She groaned again. _How could I let that guy get the drop on me? Dad is going to be furious! I'm supposed to be the responsible, military-trained one!_

She wriggled her fingers only to find that they were numb. So were her feet, though not as badly since she had boots protecting them from the actual ropes. Using her other senses, she tried to discern where she was.

 _Smells dank and musty in here. And it's quiet, very quiet. I seem to be lying on a stone surface; there are little bits of sand digging into my cheek._ She felt around for her telecomm watch _. Damn. It's gone. I've got no way to contact base or the other girls now._ She sighed heavily. The sound was louder than she expected but welcome to her ears. _At least I'm not gagged. Maybe I'd do better sitting up._ With agonizing slowness, Sally began the painful process of moving herself into a sitting position.

* * *

The Hood laughed as she faced the statue of her nephew, Tin-Tin.

"Such a pity, my nephew, that you cannot answer me now. I know your father has had you sedated. But he cannot keep you so forever. And when you wake, I will enter your mind just to torment you. And to torment my brother, who is too weak to withstand me!"

She considered pulling off the mask, but remembered that there were three Tracy daughters outside her lair. _It is better to let them think I am a man than to show them that I am a woman. I will gather up my other hostages, and then contact their father. The two Thunderbirds that are here are on top of my helijet hangar. But that is of no consequence. I have other ways to escape this place should I need to do so._

Bowing once to the statue and pulling the curtains across the alcove, she made her way back through the opulent main hall to her communications room. _I must determine where my victims are at this moment._ Her hands danced over the computer keyboard and the images from her security cameras appeared on a bank of screens before her.

The first screen showed JC in an infrared picture, hugging the back of the temple, prodding for some kind of entrance. _There is the cunning one, trying to find an entrance at the back of my temple. She will not find one, unless I open one to her and trap her with it._ Turning to another screen, she saw Christa looking around and calling, then stamping on the brick wall with her foot. The Hood laughed again.

"The weak one tries to open my missile bay! Perhaps I should oblige her!"

Now the Hood looked at the last screen. She frowned and changed the image. Again and again she flicked through the bank of cameras. Finally she stood up straight and wondered, _Where is the stupid one?_

* * *

The sun was up at Tracy Island, and Jeff Tracy stood on the balcony as the sky around his home brightened and the sea took on an aquamarine hue. He had come out there to escape the confines of the lounge, to escape the expressions of the others as they looked to him for guidance and answers. For once, he had none for them. All he could do was wait.

Kyrano came back up the path from his garden, refreshed in mind. He had gone there again to meditate, to try and strengthen himself by stretching his mental muscles. His half-sister was powerful; of that he had no doubt. But he was skilled, and he hoped he could pass both skill _and_ power on to his son so that Tin-Tin would not be a life-long victim to his aunt's cruelty. Looking up at the villa, he saw Jeff standing on the balcony, his eyes closed and his face etched with sadness. Kyrano's heart went out to him, and he knew he must do something to help.

"Jefferson."

Jeff started, then turned his gaze to his retainer as the Malaysian approached. Kyrano stood with one hand on the rail, while Jeff leaned with both forearms on it, hands clasped as if in prayer.

"Jeff. I may be able to find the girls."

Jeff stood up and faced Kyrano. "How?" he asked, bewildered.

"By reaching out to one of them with my mind."

Jeff stared at his old friend. Suddenly, Kyrano seemed to be a different person, one who Jeff didn't know anymore. _But that's not true!_ he realized. _He's still Kyrano. Just... deeper, that's all._

"What do you need?" he asked.

Kyrano smiled slightly. "Nothing I do not already have. Except... your mind."

Jeff looked shocked at this. " _My_ mind? What do you want from me?"

"I propose to search for Sally. Of all of your daughters, she is most like you. From you I would take an image, a description if you would, of who I am looking for." Kyrano cocked his head slightly. "Do you understand?"

Jeff nodded slowly. "I think I do. When do we start? Where do you want to do this?"

"We should do this in my suite and we should go now. It will take but a few minutes to prepare."

Jeff took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. He straightened his shoulders. "Let's go."


	19. Leave It To Mae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My information and descriptions of the Hood's temple base come from _The International Rescue Book of Thunderbirds FAB Cross-Sections_ ; by Alan Fennell and Graham Bleathman, Ravette Books, Ltd., London, 1993, pp. 24-25. The only addition I have made is a very sensible ladder in a pagoda. The name of Kyrano's wife comes from my fictions, _The Retainer_ and _We'll Always Have Paris_.

Bent low, a shadowy figure made its way around the front of the temple hide-out, bypassing the stairs to the front entrance and staying low until it reached a dark corner where a tree grew. In the cover provided by the position of the moon and the wide stone steps that made up the outside of the temple wall, the lithe phantom quickly climbed to the temple's summit and approached the nearest of the smaller pagodas. Well-manicured hands lay for long moments on the intricate stonework of the large roof ornament.

_Hmm. It's vibrating a little. More like a hum in the stone. Must be some sort of machinery inside._

The small square door was difficult to pry open, and a pain-filled curse was whispered.

"Damn. I hate breaking fingernails!"

Feet were applied instead, and the door fell inward to a sturdy kick. A light flashed around inside the pagoda, and the figure's beautiful face smiled.

_This must be his communications mast! How clever to hide it in a pagoda... or whatever this thing is. Now, where's the ladder? There's got to be one; this must need maintenance sometimes. Ah! There it is. Okay, Sally. I'm coming!_

And swinging herself over to the interior ladder, Mae Tracy was the first to breach the temple's defenses.

* * *

Kyrano and Jeff sat close, crosslegged on the floor of Kyrano's suite, a small incense burner between them. Jeff was nervous, not only about this new side he saw in his old friend, but also about the procedure they were going to undertake.

"Now, Jeff. You must relax. Close your eyes. I am going to put my hands on your temples. Breathe in the incense. Do you smell it?"

Jeff nodded.

"Good. Now, focus on its smell. It is heavy, spicy. Focus only on that. Now, do you smell it anymore? Do not speak; just shake your head or nod."

Jeff was surprised at how quickly he had become accustomed to the heavy odor of the burning spices. He shook his head gingerly.

"Excellent. Do not seek to smell it anymore. Just accept that it is gone. Now, focus on my touch as I rub your temples. It is soothing. It is warm. Focus on that. Do you feel it?"

Again, Jeff's original nod turned into a bare shake of his head as the nerve endings in his temples grew accustomed to the touch and he could no longer feel it.

"Do not seek to feel it. Accept that my touch is gone. Focus on my voice. I am speaking low and softly. I will keep speaking. It will become a murmur to you; a droning background noise...."

Kyrano's voice faded into the background of Jeff's consciousness, becoming little more than the gentle noise of a brook. Suddenly, he felt he was in a dark place, alone. In a way it was worse than sensory deprivation training because here he couldn't feel or hear the beat of his own heart, or the sound of his own swallowing.

_"Jefferson."_

The soft mental voice nearly undid all of Kyrano's preparations as Jeff reacted in shock to the first touch of his friend's mind. But as Jeff had accepted the loss of his senses, he now accepted that this was supposed to be happening. Tentatively, he reached out with his own thoughts, weak and feeble as they seemed to him.

_"K-Kyrano?"_

_"I am here, Jefferson. Look with your inner eye and you will see me."_

Jeff didn't exactly know what Kyrano was talking about, but he instinctively tried to "see" into the darkness around him. His efforts did not go unrewarded; a cool golden light materialized beside him. Somehow, he knew this to be the embodiment of his old friend.

_"Good. You see me now. And now I see you. Together we will find Sally. But you must trust me. Our thoughts must be one and you must reach out to her. Her mind is very much like your own. I will carry us, and you will search. But should Bella appear on this plane, I will not confront her. She is very powerful. Once we have found Sally, we will know where she is in the physical world. Do you understand?"_

_"I-I think so."_

_"Then let us be merged."_

The merging of the two personalities was not without pain. For the first time, Jeff saw the scene when Kyrano's father disinherited him for his younger sibling. He saw the cruel but beautiful face of his enemy as a much younger woman. He saw Kyrano's wife, Samani, and felt the love they had for each other. The birth of Tin-Tin, the completeness they had as a family, and Kyrano's terrible grief at Samani's death all became part of Jeff's knowledge, too.

For his part, Kyrano lived through Jeff's memories of his arguments with his father, and the passing of both of his parents in a tornado which swept across the Kansas plains. His eagerness to go to the Moon, and the excitement of that venture thrilled Kyrano as much as it had thrilled Jeff. His friend's deep love for Lucille and the contentment he had with her, as well as the joy he felt at the birth of each and every daughter washed over Kyrano like a tidal wave of emotion. The deep, unabating sorrow Jeff experienced when Lucille died, and the slow climb from the depths of that grief with the help of his girls nearly brought the Malaysian to tears. The pride and love that Jeff felt for his children and the places that each of them occupied in his heart were revealed, and Kyrano began to focus in on one in particular.

_"Think on Sally, Jeff. Think on her and all that she means to you."_

Jeff focused on her. She was his dark-haired beauty, a vision of what he might have been had he not been born male. Stubborn, caring, quick to anger, intelligent, fearless; he recited in his head all the things that made up her personality. He remembered how proud he felt when she decided on the Air Force as a career and marveled as he reminisced on how quickly she rose through the ranks through her own hard work and perseverance. He remembered the awe she showed when Thunderbird One was revealed to her and the joy that sang through her veins and showed on her face as she flew it. The same joy that made him shiver as he had taken off for the moon. Yes, they were very much alike, and as he thought of her, he found himself drawn in a particular direction.

There was a cool blue light, small and muted and Jeff somehow knew that this was the sleeping consciousness of his oldest child. Reaching out, the merged personality of Jeff and Kyrano gently touched the faint glow. Like lightning, the touch awakened the sleeper and the seekers could hear one thought as the young woman's body responded to her mind's fresh awareness.

_"Daddy?!"_

* * *

Sitting in the dark, dank cell, Sally had drifted off into a fitful doze. She dreamed no dreams; her bound body was too uncomfortable to sleep deeply. She had just nodded off again, her mind releasing her from the knowledge of her body's discomfort when suddenly, something happened that shocked her wide awake. Someone had caressed her; not in a physical sense, but there had definitely been the sensation of a touch, gentle as a feather. A touch so familiar that she could not mistake it for anyone else's. In both thought and voice she cried out to him who had so softly embraced her from afar.

"Daddy?!"

She found herself breathing heavily, trying to regain her bearings in the pitch dark of the room. But as she calmed from the surprising contact, she felt her heart fill with hope.

_Daddy knows where I am. And he's coming for me._

* * *

JC crept quietly around the back of the temple. Here the solid, straight walls faced the jungle, and the creatures in the overgrown tropical forest were still active. She shivered as she heard the growl of some nocturnal predator and, instead of being able to take the time to examine the structure as she wanted to, she felt compelled to push along quickly. Rounding the far corner, she noticed the ziggurat edges of the temple outlined in the moon's setting light.

 _It would be easy to climb up there if I knew there was an access from the roof,_ she mused.

Keeping a low profile but scurrying quickly along, JC hugged the edge of the temple's wall, flashing her light occasionally. She was disappointed; there didn't seem to be any entrance other than the one in the front. She was also getting worried. There was no sign of Christa or Mae on this side of the structure, the place where they were supposed to rendezvous.

She made it to a dark corner where a tree grew. Using the shadows for cover, she took a breather. _The sun will be rising soon. Then what do we do? How can we rescue Sally?_

A swinging light came around the corner and JC ducked for cover behind the tree.

"JC?" someone whispered. "Is that you?"

"Christa!" JC hissed. "What kept you?" She looked beyond her older sister. "Where's Mae?"

"That's what kept me," Christa muttered as she got closer. "Mae's disappeared."

"Oh, great!" the aquanaut groaned. "Now what do we do?"

"That's your department, Miz Military Strategy," Christa groused. "I did find a possible way in, but I can't open it." She looked up, where the stars were fading and the sky's deep blue was going gray with the approaching dawn. "We'll have daylight soon. All the better to see with."

"And be seen by," JC pointed out. She huffed. "I guess that finding Mae is our first priority. I just hope she didn't get into any trouble with this... nutcase."

"Personally, I think that if anyone could handle that 'nutcase', it would be Mae," Christa commented. "Don't know that the weird yellow eyes would have any effect on our resident air head."

JC smacked Christa on the arm. "You know that's not so. Mae may be a ditz, but she's only a ditz in certain areas. She's got a good business head and has learned the communications in Thunderbird Five inside and out. All that wide-eyed innocent look works in her favor... sometimes."

"Let's hope this is one of those times, then," Christa retorted, rubbing her arm.

* * *

Kyrano and Jeff's foray to find Sally did not go unnoticed. Though not on the astral plane herself, the Hood was aware of it on a subconscious level. When the combined entity of Jeff and Kyrano swept into her vicinity, she knew someone was there.

"My brother makes an effort to find me," she muttered. "He is close. Too close. I must see if I can catch him before he returns to his body. My search for the stupid one will have to wait."

With that, she strode from the communications/command chamber, heading for the main hall and her inner sanctum.

* * *

Mae made a slow descent down the ladder in the pagoda, trying to make as little noise as possible. _If I'm noisy, it will echo in here really well and that weirdo might come looking for me then._ After what seemed to be an eternity, her booted feet reached the floor and she swung her light around. _There's got to be a door to the inside from here._

Her search was rewarded. Near the floor was a small, metal door, tall enough for a crouching person, and with a handle on the inside at the left. Smiling, Mae knelt on one knee before it, prepared to slide it across. She had her hand on the grip when she heard a voice inside. Alarmed, she put her ear to the door.

"...returns to his body. My search for the stupid one..." The voice faded as the speaker left the room.

"Stupid one?" Mae huffed in a whisper. "I'll show him 'stupid'..." Pressing her ear to the door once more, she waited to make sure there was no other sound. Then she slid the door across and crawled out of the communication mast's chamber.

* * *

On Tracy Island, there was a flurry of preparation. Jeff and Kyrano had come out of their trance, both drenched with sweat and panting for breath. Their gazes met, blue eyes to brown, each filled with a new understanding and respect for the other. And both feeling a connection, not to each other, but to a young woman who waited thousands of miles away.

"I know where she is, Jefferson," Kyrano affirmed. "There is an ancient temple that rested on my family's property. We will find her there."

"I know," Jeff replied, levering himself off the floor and giving a hand up to Kyrano. "My other girls are probably there as well. Let's go get them."

Both men hurriedly changed clothes; Kyrano into khaki pants and safari-style jacket, Jeff into his own IR uniform with a gold sash. They entered the lounge where Val sat behind Jeff's desk, tapping a pencil. Brains was seated near Tin-Tin, keeping watch on the young Malaysian's vital signs, and Ruby was staring out at the morning, arms folded. All eyes turned to the two men as they swept into the room.

"Val, your uniform, quickly. Brains, you too," Jeff commanded. "Then prep the helijet for immediate departure." Val's eyes met her father's and she nodded, then got up to obey. Brains said, "Y-Yes, sir," and followed her out.

Ruby turned to her son-in-law, ready to protest. Her eyebrows went up when she saw how both men were dressed. "What's this all about, Jeff? You know that Valentina is...."

"Valentina is well enough to come with me," Jeff said, cutting her off. He went behind his desk and took a semi-automatic pistol from the safe behind it. He checked it for ammo and holstered it. "We know where Sally is. And where she is, the other girls may be also. We're going after them."

"So, it's not enough to send your daughters on a rescue mission that's also a trap, you've got to go running off into one, too," Ruby scoffed.

"This time," Kyrano said as he examined his son, "we have surprise on our side. My sister will have no idea we are coming." He turned to Ruby. "Mrs. Griffith. Would you please stay with Tin-Tin. He is still sedated, and should remain so until we return."

"You're going off and leaving me all alone?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide at this thought.

"Yes." Jeff put his hands on his mother-in-law's shoulders. "I'm leaving you here to hold the fort because I know you can do it. If anything goes wrong here, contact WASP right away. They can get here the fastest."

"And what if something goes wrong where you are? What do I do then? I wouldn't even know...." Ruby's words trailed off as Kyrano kissed his son on the forehead and left the room. Jeff began to follow, but then stopped, turned around, and came back to do the same to Ruby.

"Just pray that nothing goes wrong and we all return safely," he whispered to her. Then he was gone.

Ruby closed her eyes, and a tear ran down her cheek. She sighed. "I will, Jeff. I will."


	20. In The Hood's Hideaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The USAF plane, _Eagle_ , mentioned here is from the comic book story, "Talons of the Eagle", printed first in _TV Century 21_ , issues 66-72, weekly April 23-June 4, 1966, and reprinted in _Thunderbirds: The Comic_ , issues 10-13, bi-weekly February 22 -April 3, 1992, and in _Thunderbirds: Classic Comic Strips from TV21_ , compiled by Graham Bleathman and Sam Denham, Carlton Books, Ltd., 2002, pp. 123-137.
> 
> Information on the first printing is from _The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History_ at www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Mae carefully examined the room she was in. _Looks like a communications center,_ she thought. She slipped quietly over to the door. _Hmm. Can I lock this thing? I don't want to be disturbed...._ The lock was an electronic one, opened by a code, but one that operated from the other side. She pulled at the door. _Locked already! This weirdo sure is paranoid! Oh well, I should hear him coming with that lock and then I can hide... but where?_ Her eyes lighted on the turbo lift in the far wall of the room _Yeah, that will do!_ she thought, nodding appreciatively. _Now, to figure out what all this stuff does,_ she said to herself as she approached the bank of computers and screens that dominated the center of the room.

The Hood was frustrated. "I cannot find my brother anywhere! He was so close! Did he discover my base or not? I must know! This will require a deeper trance. But not here. My bedroom, where I will be more comfortable."

She backtracked down the main hall and out of her inner sanctum, but instead of turning left to her command center, she turned right and passed through a set of double doors. This took her into her state-of-the-art kitchen. A doorway from there led her to her workroom, where dozens of masks peered out with sightless, empty eyeholes as she strode through and into her own bedroom. The large round bed with its red silk coverlet beckoned to her, and she climbed to its center. Sitting in the lotus position, she began the process of driving her consciousness deeper into the other realm.

* * *

Sally ached from sitting in the same position. Her feet and hands were numb from the lack of circulation, and the parts of her that had contact with the stonework were numb from the cold. Her frustration levels were rising, and so was her anger... at herself.

"I can't just sit here and wait for rescue," she said aloud, her own voice sounding loud in her ears. "I've got to do something. What am I tied with? Rope? Plastic handcuffs? There's got to be some sort of release to it. Let's see if I can touch my ankles with my fingers and try and get myself untied."

Having made up her mind to do something, anything constructive, she began to work her fingers, trying to get the circulation back into them so she could feel enough to release herself if possible. The exercise was painful, but she could feel a certain amount of warmth beginning to fill her fingers, and with that warmth, the return of some tactile senses.

"C'mon, Sally. Just keep at it," she encouraged herself through gritted teeth as she grimly continued moving her fingers and hands.

* * *

"What's our ETA to Ipoh?" Valentina asked again.

"7.5 hours," Jeff said. He looked back at his youngest daughter. "I'm sorry, Val, but this isn't Thunderbird One, or even Thunderbird Two. This helijet isn't even supersonic, and that's why it's taking so long to get to Kyrano's family estate."

"Then why did we take it?" she asked, scowling.

"Because it's far more flexible than a jet," Jeff explained patiently.

"Yes, Miss Valentina," Kyrano chimed in from the co-pilot's chair. "There is runway at Ipoh, but none at my family's old home. We will need the helijet if we are to land close to the old temple."

"A-And this is the helijet with the, uh, stealth package, too," Brains added. "It really is the, uh, best choice for this e-endeavor."

Val sat back in the passenger's seat, her arms folded. "Then I hope none of you mind if I take a nap. That emergency call got us all up very early."

"Be my guest, Val," Jeff said, internally thanking the stars that she would be quiet for a while. "I'll wake you when we get closer."

Val stifled her immediate, smart-mouthed reaction. She was genuinely worried about her sisters and she knew that her father really didn't need any more of her caustic comments. Instead she said, "Please do, Daddy. Then maybe I can spell you and give you some time to rest." Then she put back her seat and settled down to nap.

Jeff and Kyrano exchange surprised and amused glances. "Sounds like my youngest is learning to hold her tongue," Jeff murmured.

"An excellent time to learn to do so," Kyrano quietly replied as he reached out to tweak a control.

* * *

"We need to find Mae and Sally," JC reiterated as she reached up on tiptoe to open Thunderbird One's hatch.

"And how do you intend to do that?" Christa asked. "There's something jamming our communications equipment."

"You'll see. Give me a boost, will ya?" JC said to her older but smaller sister.

"I've got a better idea. Why don't you tell me what you're after, then _you_ can give _me_ a boost and I'll get what you're looking for," Christa suggested.

JC glanced at her sharply. The sun was up and the early morning light made stark shadows in the corners of the temple as well as shadowy places created by the jungle trees. The two Tracys had flitted from one to another as they made their way back to the Thunderbirds, hoping that the people inside the hideout wouldn't be able to mark their progress. They made it back to their craft before the sun was too far up over the horizon and the dark areas dried up in its light.

"Okay, okay," JC conceded. "I figure that we can find out not only where Sally and Mae might be but also how many people we're up against if we use the thermal imager in Thunderbird One."

Christa blinked, blinked again, then hit herself in the forehead. "Duh! That's a great idea! Why didn't we think of that before?"

"I dunno," JC answered. "Maybe because we're tired? This _has_ been a long night with little sleep."

"True," Christa agreed. "So, are you going to take Thunderbird One up for a look or get out one of the portables?"

"Thunderbird One would do it faster. One or two passes and we'd have it," JC said. "That is, if the imager isn't jammed the same way our communications are."

"Okay, then. Boost me up, and I'll let down the rope ladder," Christa said.

Her sister raised an eyebrow. "Okay. But I have dibs on the pilot's seat." She made a stirrup with her hands, and Christa stepped into it.

"You can have it," the smaller woman said, her voice muffled as she entered Thunderbird One's cockpit. She stuck her head out the hatch as she lowered the rope ladder. "Flying this thing is like flying a greased pig. It's too damn slippery."

"I'll tell Sally you said that," JC informed her with a wicked grin as she climbed up into the cockpit.

Christa's indignant "Don't you dare!" was swallowed up by the roar of Thunderbird One's VTOL engine as JC took it up into the brightening morning sky.

* * *

Mae had almost completed her circuit of the round communications station. She peered into every screen, trying to figure out where in the complex each visual image came from. She stopped at one screen, drawing in a sharp breath.

"Sally!" she squeaked, as she viewed the infrared image of her oldest sister. Sally was wriggling, so Mae knew she was alive. "But where is she?" She peered at the image and noticed that the screen had the title of Prisoner Cell One. "Prisoner Cell One! That doesn't help me any!" Fuming, she stepped away from the bank and looked at it through narrow eyes, making a quick secondary evaluation of the equipment. She zeroed in on one set of controls.

"Now, this looks like that radar jamming equipment from the _Eagle,_ the stuff we got pictures of so Brains could invent a countermeasure. I bet that if I turned this off, the temple would become visible to scanners." She moved the switches to the "off" position. "Hmm. There's got to be a communications dampener, too." Walking around the circular bank again, she looked up at the screen where the Thunderbirds were under scrutiny. "Hey! Where's JC going? Or is it the weirdo, stealing Thunderbird One? I'd better find that dampener and turn it off!"

* * *

Deep in a trance, the Hood was unable to hear the loud take off of the much-coveted Thunderbird One. Nor was she able to detect the resonance of her brother's mind coming ever closer. She was, however, able to make contact with her primary puppet....

Tin-Tin's eyes opened suddenly, their brown depths eclipsed by a yellow glow. Slowly, he sat up on Thunderbird Three's couch, moving, not of his own volition, but at the command of his evil aunt.

 _Yes, my nephew. You will be my eyes this day and show me what may be seen,_ she directed. A tiny spark of defiance still lingered in Tin-Tin, making its presence known by a mental, _no!_ , but with a savage joy she crushed it beneath her overpowering will.

Zombie-like, stumbling on the steps to the study, Tin-Tin left the lounge, heading for the lower levels of the house and the bowels of the underground complex.

Moments later, Ruby entered the lounge with a cup of tea and some scones to keep her fortified. She took in the empty couch with the blanket thrown back and her eyes widened. "No!" she cried. "Where could he have gone? I have to find him!" She put her cup and saucer down on a table, and picked up the hypospray that Brains had left for an emergency. Then she headed out to the balcony, calling the Malaysian's name.

* * *

Sally reached down toward her ankles, feeling around her boot heels and walking her half-numb fingers up toward where she was bound. It was difficult to maneuver; one shoulder was propped against the wall, her buttocks were lifted off of her feet, and she was bent backwards as far as her spine would allow. She arched back again, trying to get a little more reach. Her fingertips brushed against the bonds, the roughness of the material proclaiming that at least her ankles were tied with rope.

"Where there's rope, there's a knot. I just have to find it," she ground out, making another attempt to grasp the thick cord that limited her ankles.

* * *

The flight was proceeding smoothly though Jeff was getting sleepy. He jerked himself awake, and reached out to tap Kyrano, who seemed to be woozy as well. The retainer shook his silvered head.

"Time for a change of co-pilot, I think," Jeff said kindly.

"And perhaps of pilot?" Kyrano commented.

Jeff shook his head, indicating a negative. "I'm good for another hour."

Kyrano raised an eyebrow, and smiled slightly. "Then, Jeff, so am I."

* * *

JC made a preliminary pass over the temple structure, then turned again to make another run. "Do you have the thermal imager up?"

"F-A-B, she's up and running," Christa said, sitting on one of the low jump seats that Sally used when she had a passenger.

"Great. Now, let's see just how many people we have to deal with here."

JC made the second run at a relatively slow speed and a low altitude, wanting to get the best scan of the temple that she could. She was concentrating on flying her sister's Thunderbird, and so didn't look at the thermal imager's display. Christa, however, did, and she frowned.

"This can't possibly be right," she said, shaking her head.

"What can't be right?" JC asked.

"According to the thermal imager, there are only three people in the building."

"What?!" JC cried. "Lemme see." She squinted at the screen and whistled. "The thermal imager must be jammed, too."

"Let's make another pass, just to be sure," Christa suggested.

"Won't hurt, I suppose. Okay. One more run." JC turned Thunderbird One around and made another slow flight over the temple.

Christa shook her head. "Still three people and still in the same places. Whatever is jamming our communications is jamming the thermal imager, too."

Suddenly, their wrist telecomms vibrated. "Yeow!" cried Christa, shaking her hand as if stung. She activated the communicator. "Mae?"

"Oh, Christa! Thank God!" Mae called, relieved. "Where's JC?"

"She's here with me."

"Oh, good! Somebody took Thunderbird One!"

JC pressed a stud on her watch. "We took Thunderbird One, Mae. It's safe."

Mae slumped with relief. "I'm so glad! I thought the weirdo had stolen it!"

"No, Mae. We took it up to see if we could find out how many people were in the temple by using the thermal imager. Listen, can you try to find out what is jamming our sensors?" JC asked. "Then we can get a proper reading...."

"Oh, the jammer is already off," Mae informed her. "I turned that off first. Then I found the communications dampener...."

JC and Christa exchanged glances, their eyes wide, then JC cut Mae off. "Listen, Mae. Where are you in the temple?"

"Uh, in the communications room," Mae replied, confused.

"How did you get there, Mae?" Christa asked.

"Oh, I climbed down through one of those pagoda-y things on the roof."

"Which one, Mae? If you're looking at the front door, which one was it?" JC was already turning around and flying back to face the facade of the Hood's lair.

"Let me think. Okay. It was the one on the right. In front."

JC brought Thunderbird One to hover over the center of the temple, while Christa tried to figure out where Mae's directions put her in the temple.

"I think she's right here." Christa pointed to a heat signature on the grid. Then she glanced wryly back at JC. "How about we call up her homing signal?"

JC groaned, then shook her head violently. "Good idea. This lack of sleep is definitely clouding my judgement!" She flicked a switch on the pilot's seat control pad, and the lilac colored dot that represented Mae was superimposed on the heat signature that Christa had pointed out. Moreover, a light blue dot shone to the left of Mae's position.

"Look, look!" Christa cried. "Sally!"

"Hey, that's great!" JC said. "Her watch is still functioning!"

"Now we know who is where," Christa reasoned. "And more importantly, we know for sure that there _are_ only three people in that building."

"Sounds to me like the odds are more than even," JC said with a grin. "We just have to figure out how to get in... and get Sally out."


	21. Into The Fray

Mae squinted at the various dials and switches that covered the round console dominating the room she was in. _I wonder what else I can shut down from here,_ she mused. _The console's not exactly user-friendly. Hmm. Are the monitor screens touch sensitive?_ She reached up and hesitantly touched a square at the bottom of the screen where Sally's efforts to free herself were displayed.

Sally was suddenly blinded by the lights coming on inside the room. "Aagh!" she cried, turning her face to the wall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sally!" Mae exclaimed aloud, upset that her actions had caused her sister pain. A sudden noise turned her attention to the tiny access door she had come through. She ducked down behind the console.

"This guy must be a contortionist to fit through this opening," came JC's voice.

"For once, being small is good!" Christa said, sticking her head through the doorway. "I'm sure Mae had no trouble... oh, JC! Quit bitching! Just let me through."

Christa crawled out on her hands and knees and then stood, brushing off her pants. "Mae? Mae-Bee, where are you?" She turned to pull an equipment duffel through the door, and then JC struggled to get her wider shoulders through the door.

Mae popped up from behind the console. "Here I am!" she said, coming around to embrace Christa. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Can you give me a hand here?" JC moaned.

"Turn on your side, the side without the gun holster," Christa ordered. "Mae, take one of her arms... there, we'll just slide her in."

Between the two of them, Christa and Mae dragged JC into the room. She stood and dusted her uniform off as best she could, then surveyed the communications center. "Wow! Pretty impressive."

Mae grabbed her arm. "Look, look! I've found Sally!" She pulled JC over to the screen on the other side of the console. JC drew in a hissing breath when she saw the picture of her older sister.

Christa joined them, and moaned softly in commiseration. "That's our Sal," she said, shaking her head. "Just can't wait for a rescue. She has to be doing something proactive." She turned to Mae. "Any idea of where she is?"

"No, none. Just that she's in 'Prisoner Cell One', wherever that is," Mae complained.

"Well, the thermal imager will tell us where Sally is from this position," JC said. "We'll split up.You two can rescue Sally. I'll deal with her kidnapper."

"But first we have to get out of here," Mae said. "The door is locked from the outside."

JC grinned. "No problem. I brought along my handy-dandy electronic lock picker." She pulled out a small box, about the size of a pack of cards.

"Where'd you get that?" Christa asked, frowning.

JC's grin turned mischievous. "Parker, who else? I asked him to teach me how to pick locks. He gave me this to help with the electronic ones. 'H'in case yew don' 'appen t' 'ave h'an 'airpin on yeh, Miss Jerrie,' he said. Like I would ever have a hairpin...." JC moved over to the door. "Let me at this thing. I'll have it open in no time."

* * *

"What's our ETA to Ipoh?" Val asked.

"F-Fifty-five minutes," Brains, her co-pilot answered.

Val looked back to see her father, asleep in one of the helijet's passenger seats. But Kyrano was not asleep. Instead, he seemed to be in deep meditation.

 _Wonder what he's doing?_ Val mused. She turned back to her piloting. _I hope that whatever it is, our enemy doesn't get warning of our coming._

* * *

"Where is he?" Ruby fretted to herself. She had searched the pool area and the remainder of the Villa and had found no sign of the missing Tin-Tin. "I don't suppose he's gone down into the hangars. If he has, I'll never find him!" A sudden idea came to her. "Maybe the lab. Yes, I'll try the lab first and if he's not there, then the hangars." She bustled off to the elevators that would take her to the underground complex and the monorail.

Meanwhile, Bella was using her nephew's eyes and ears to her advantage. She had forced him to board one of the monorail cars and take her on a guided tour of the International Rescue complex.

_This is most impressive! The size of the chambers! The fleet of vessels in the natural cave! Ah, Thunderbird Three! How tall it is! And to think I nearly destroyed it with my missiles._

The monorail completed its circuit of Thunderbird Three's silo and headed into the pod bay. _Ah! The many smaller vehicles of International Rescue. I do not covet them as much as the mighty Thunderbirds themselves but they will come in handy. Especially the Mole._ She picked over Tin-Tin's brain and retrieved the names for each vehicle and their functions. _Such an embarrassment of riches!_

The railway took them briefly into Thunderbird Two's empty hangar. The Hood smiled, knowing that the mighty machine that usually occupied that berth was sitting in her own backyard, ripe for the picking. Then the walls closed around the car as it entered a tunnel.

_Where does this take us, my nephew?_

A strangled sounding thought came from Tin-Tin's tortured mind. _The lab._

_Excellent!_

The monorail turned a smooth corner and climbed a bit of an incline. Bella, seeing through Tin-Tin's eyes, frowned. Another monorail car was stopped on the route, right in front of the laboratory complex.

_What is this, my nephew?_

Tin-Tin struggled mightily under the thumb of his father's half-sister. He did not want to betray anyone who might be in the lab. Finally, he ground out, _I do not know._

Bella considered his answer carefully. _Most likely it is the engineer, Brains. But again, we saw no one else in the house, not even my thrice-cursed brother. Perhaps they are all hidden here, hoping to escape. We will surprise them together, my nephew, for they will not suspect you of duplicity. Enter the lab, Tin-Tin. Enter, and destroy those within!_

* * *

Kyrano was in a deep trance, gathering his strength for what he knew would be a final showdown with his evil sibling. He was surprised that she had not attacked him already; his mind had brushed hers briefly when they had located Sally, and he was sure that she would search for him. But he didn't sense her attention coming his way at all.

 _It may work in my favor,_ he thought. _I may be able to take her unawares and have an advantage. I hope it is so._

His outer senses were shut down, so he didn't hear when a sudden radio message blared out over the air in the passsenger cabin. But Jeff heard it. He was startled from a restful slumber by the voice of his middle child.

"Mae to base. Mae to base. Come in, base." The speaker in his watch vibrated with the loud call. Jeff activated his telecomm to see the beautiful face of Mae, his Mae, looking back at him.

"Daddy!" she cried.

"Mobile base to Mae," Jeff said, grinning. "What's your status?"

"Well, Christa and JC and I are all inside the guy's temple place," Mae began. The picture shifted as someone grabbed Mae's telecomm away from her. A indignant "Hey!" was heard in the background as Christa's face appeared where Mae's had just been.

"Christa here. We're in the communications room of the enemy's hideout. We've done a thermal imager sweep of the place and there are only two other heat signatures outside of our own. We've pinpointed which one is Sally. JC is picking the lock of the room we're in, then we're going to split up. Mae and I will take care of Sally, while JC takes out the enemy. We do have a video visual on Sally and she's managed to untie her feet. But we don't know how to communicate with her any other way."

"F-A-B, Christa. Excellent work, girls! We are on the way to your position. ETA is... Val?" Jeff asked.

Val called back, "Thirty-five minutes."

"ETA thirty-five minutes," Jeff repeated. "There's something you should know about our foe, girls..."

Christa looked away. "JC's got the door unlocked, Dad. We're ready to proceed."

"Christa, you should know that he is a she," Jeff told her.

Christa blinked. "What did you say, Dad?"

"Our enemy is a woman. Her name is Bella Ghant."

"How do you know?" JC had come up and asked the question off-screen.

Jeff huffed, and said in exasperation, "It would take too long for me to tell you. Suffice it to say, I know."

There was no mistaking the sly and calculating smile that spread over Christa's face. "Thanks for the intel, Dad. Now the odds really _are_ more than even." She looked away. "Hopefully we'll have this all wrapped up by the time you get here."

"Leave something for us to do!" Val yelled from the cockpit.

"No guarantees, Val. We've been chasing this shadow all night, and it's time for a little payback. See you when you get here. Christa out." The screen went dark.

Jeff looked over at Kyrano, who was slowly coming out of his trance. "The girls have found Sally," he informed his friend.

"Very good. I was preparing myself for a final showdown with my sister." Kyrano turned to Jeff, his mien serious. "Jefferson, if something should happen to me, there are legal papers in a box in my closet. I will trust that you will care for my Tin-Tin as a father to a son."

Jeff frowned. "Kyrano, you sound as if you're going into this with no hope of coming out of it."

Kyrano bowed his head. "That may very well be the case, my friend. My sister is very powerful. I only hope I am strong enough to counter her. She cannot be allowed to keep the secrets she has obtained."

Jeff reached out and put a hand on the retainer's shoulder. "I think I understand. If worst comes to worst, you can count on me to take good care of Tin-Tin."

"I thank you, Jefferson," Kyrano said simply. Then the two of them turned their attention to the view of jungle in the helijet's side ports.

* * *

Tin-Tin wished he could stop his body from entering the lab. He was sure that Brains, Jeff, or perhaps even Valentina were inside. He tried to fight against the Hood's mental control, but he just wasn't strong enough. His hand trembled as his mental captor forced him to put his palm up to the security scanner. The machine did its work, and the doors to the lab parted. He stepped inside quietly.

To his surprise, no one seemed to be there. But there was a movement to his right, and the Hood forced him to turn that way. A gray haired woman was coming back from the depths of the lab, shaking her head and muttering. She looked up and saw Tin-Tin, and her face cleared. She smiled pleasantly.

"Tin-Tin! There you are! I was worried sick!"

 _Who is this woman?_ the Hood pressed.

Tin-Tin squirmed under the pressure but finally informed her, _Mrs Griffith. Mrs. Tracy's mother._

_Ah. Now it is time for you to show me how loyal a tool you will be, my nephew. Kill the woman!_

* * *

JC did one more sweep of the temple from just inside the communications room door. "Okay, one signature is about forty feet that way, down the corridor to our left and on the same side. Sally," she checked her readings, "is across the hall and about twenty feet to the left. I don't see any ready access from here but there's got to be an access somewhere." She looked back at her sisters. Both of them had faces full of purpose, and their stun guns in their hands. "You two ready?"

"F-A-B," Christa said. She grinned wickedly. "Let's go hunt some bitch."

JC returned the grin and, pocketing her lockpicking device, stepped out into the hall. Mae followed on her heels, then Christa.

That's when all hell broke loose.


	22. Turnabout Is Fair Play

Tin-Tin's fingers flexed as he tried to fight the urge to reach out and strangle the woman who stood before him. Everything within him rose up in horror at the thought, but Bella laughed at his revulsion of the deed and drove him forward, one hesitant, faltering step at a time.

Ruby, for her part, kept a hand hidden behind the fold of her skirt, hypospray armed and ready should she need it. She watched Tin-Tin's progress, noting the twitching fingers and the way that the boy's step looked slow and labored. His face was impassive for the most part, but every now and again a split second of agony passed over it. His eyes glowed a strange yellow color.

_I hope that this sedative takes effect quickly,_ she thought. _Or I might not get out of this alive._

Tin-Tin's consciousness pushed upward against weight that held it down, straining with all his heart and soul to be free of Bella's noxious presence. Suddenly, without warning, the pressure lifted entirely. He stumbled a step or two, right into Ruby's arms. She instinctively brought her hands up to catch him, and in doing so, used the hypospray to power the sedative into his neck.

He dropped to his knees and gazed up at her, his eyes clear and dark brown. "M-Mrs. Griffith!" he cried.

Concerned for her own safety, Ruby took a step back. Tin-Tin dropped onto his hands before her and looked up, turning his head to see her face.

"Sh-She's.... gone," he said, his voice trailing off as the sedative overwhelmed him.

Ruby leaned down to catch him beneath the shoulders and lowered him so he lay face down on the lab floor.

" 'She's gone'?" the woman asked out loud. "I wonder what that's supposed to mean?"

* * *

Sitting on her bed, the Hood's attention was suddenly diverted to the alarms that were ringing throughout her temple hideaway. She left her nephew's mind and raced back to her own body, startled into the move by the knowledge of intruders in her sanctuary.

_Who?_ she asked herself as she shook her head, trying to regain her equilibrium and wake fully from her deep trance. _Tracy's little bitches? Come to rescue their sister? It can be no other._ She smiled as she climbed off the bed, her limbs stiff. _You have come into the spider's web, little flies. Soon enough you will join your sister as my prisoners!_

* * *

"Damn!" JC swore aloud, trying to be heard over the ear-splitting noise of the intruder alarms. "I should have known she'd have this place full of sensor devices!" She turned and beckoned to Christa, who had her hands over her ears. Christa came over close to her and JC pulled one of the hands away and shouted, "You and Mae go that way!" She indicated the area to the right of them. "See if you can find a way to get to Sally. I'll go this way!"

"F-A-B!" Christa shouted back. She stood carefully, not wanting to trigger any possible booby traps, and went to Mae, who also was shielding her ears against the noise. Grabbing her taller sister by the wrist, she shouted JC's instructions at her. Mae nodded, and the two set off in the direction their field leader had indicated.

JC watched them for a moment, then crouching, ran along the wall to the left, where the heat signature had been found. The first door she came to was not locked; she pushed it open to see a pitch-dark room. The light from the hallway barely penetrated the gloom but what JC could see perplexed and worried her. _What the hell? This is a cell..._ she realized. Leaving that door open, she scooted down to the next, thick wooden door. This one was shut tight, and sealed with a lock not unlike the one at the communications center. She pulled out her little electronic lockpick and fastened it to the outside of the door. Then she activated her telecomm.

"JC to Christa. Something's wrong. I think _I_ may have found Sally. Be on your toes, you two. The one you're looking for is most likely our enemy."

Mae's voice came over the link. "But what about the locator?"

"The bitch may have taken Sally's watch from her," JC explained. "Just... be careful, huh?"

"F-A-B," Christa's voice acknowledged. "We'll be careful!"

JC turned her attention back to the task at hand. "C'mon, c'mon! Faster, baby, faster!" she muttered as Parker's gift did its work. "Gotta get to Sal and then follow the trouble twins. Neither of them are equipped to deal with that conniving witch!"

* * *

Sally had been trying to slide her bound hands under her buttocks so she could untie them when the klaxons went off. Even in her quiet cell she could hear the alarms buzzing outside.

_I bet Daddy's here,_ she thought, her courage renewed. _He sure knows how to make an entrance! I just hope he can take out the bastard and his minions!_

A strange noise near the door caught her attention. Rising to her knees, she crept over to the entrance and put her ear against the wood. _Hmm. That sounds like... JC's lockpick!_ "JC! JC! I'm in here!" she called out, her voice rusty from disuse.

She heard a faint, but familiar, "Coming, Sal!" from outside and she sat back, relieved beyond words. _They're here. My family is here._

* * *

Christa and Mae found the double doors that led into the Hood's kitchen. Stun guns in hand, they pushed open the doors while flattened to the wall outside the room. Peering in, Christa motioned that Mae should go first, while Mae shook her head emphatically and indicated that Christa should go first. Rolling her eyes, Christa stepped inside the unoccupied room, Mae close on her heels. Christa turned on her flashlight and swept around the room with it. Mae opened a cupboard at random. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Canned eel. This woman eats canned eel."

"Never mind that," Christa said, irritated. "We need to find her. According to JC's readings, she should be somewhere through this door."

They glanced at each other, and Christa pressed herself up against the wall next to the door. "I went first last time," she said. "Your turn now. I'll cover you."

Mae glared at Christa, who motioned with her stun gun. Sighing, the taller girl swung open the door with one arm, taking care to keep her body parallel with the door. She turned on her flashlight and looked around, then entered the room. Finding a light switch, she flicked it, and then gasped as she came face to face with a... face.

"Wow!" Christa whispered. "Look at all the masks! No wonder why we thought she was a whole bunch of people."

"Yeah," Mae said softly. "And look at the padding she used to make her body look like a man!"

"She's a genius in the art of disguise, I'll give her that," Christa said. "Hey, look at this!" She picked up a cricket bat, painted with the colors of some school or other. "A souvenir for JC?"

Within the bedroom, Bella was stretching, limbering her stiff muscles in preparation for the battle to come. She was aware of the presence of two people in her disguise room, but she was going to face them when she was ready, and on her terms. "The spider awaits you, little flies," she murmured. "A few more moments, and I will control you both!"

* * *

Val boldly set the helijet down in front of the temple. Jeff had been glad to see both Thunderbird One and Thunderbird Two parked together and seemingly unharmed. Now he strapped a holster with an automatic pistol to his shoulders. He handed armaments to Val and Brains, and offered a gun to Kyrano, who refused it.

"I have my own weapon," the retainer said simply. Jeff scrutinized his serene face for a moment, then nodded.

Val was the first one out, crouching on the far side of the helijet, peering out from behind its snub nose. The temple sat there in the morning sun, looking ancient and innocuous.

"If I know my sister, we will not get in without resistance," Kyrano said quietly. "She has very likely put sensors and various traps within the front entrance."

"What should we do?" Val asked.

"Th-Thunderbird Two's, uh, mini-missiles might c-come in handy," Brains suggested. "Blowing open the, uh, front d-door would probably d-deactivate any traps."

"Good thinking, Brains," Jeff said. He began to move toward the two grounded Thunderbirds. "Let's go!"

* * *

"C'mon!" JC said through gritted teeth. She bounced up and down a bit as she waited for the blinking red lights that indicated the lockpick was working to stop blinking and turn green. Finally, they did. "Hallelujah!" she muttered as she reached for the handle.

Inside, Sally waited with growing impatience for the door to open. At last, she heard the snick of the lock as it let go. Then the door swung open, and there was JC.

"Am I ever glad to see you!" she cried as her sister moved behind her to untie her wrists.

"You're a sight for sore eyes yourself," JC replied, her fingers working on the knots. They gave way beneath her skillful fingers, and Sally began to chafe one wrist with the opposite hand. JC tugged on her elbow, helping her sister to rise from the floor. Sally sagged against the wall of the cell.

"We'd better get after Christa and Mae," JC said. "Your kidnapper took your watch, it seems, so they ended up going after that bitch."

Sally reached out to grab her sister's arm. "What did you just call him?"

JC grinned. "A bitch. Daddy told us that our 'guy with the glowing eyes' is a woman!"

* * *

Jeff used his wrist telecomm to override the security measures of Thunderbird Two. Raising it off the ground so the little group had access to the pod, he led them inside, then used the remote controls to bring the chassis down over the pod once more. They scurried up to the flight deck, where Jeff took the pilot's chair.

"Damn, but Christa has this thing adjusted high!" he complained as he readjusted the chair's settings to accommodate his larger frame and longer legs. Val hid a smile behind her hand.

Firing up the mighty cargo carrier's engines, Jeff took her into the air, his hands flicking switches with precision. Val looked on with admiration. _He sure knows what he's doing,_ she thought. _I forget sometimes that he flew all these craft before he trained us how to fly them ourselves._

He maneuvered Thunderbird Two so that it faced the facade of the Hood's temple hideout. Turning to Val, he said, "Activate mini-missiles."

Valentina reached over to flick a switch. "Mini-missiles loaded and primed."

"Target that front door."

"Target acquired."

"Fire one."

"My pleasure!" Val pounced on the button that launched the first of the mini-missiles. It sped from the launcher, and hit the huge double doors, exploding on impact and blasting them off their hinges. Inside the temple, Sally heard the tell-tale whine of the airborne torpedo above the still ringing alarms and pulled JC bodily into her prison cell, knocking them both over. The force of the missile's blast rocked the building and shards of wood, metal, and stone flew past them and into the long hallway. The alarms suddenly stopped.

JC looked at Sally, over whose body she was draped. "What the hell was that?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Sally grinned. "Off hand, I'd say it was Daddy."

* * *

The explosion that rocked the temple shocked Bella. "What... who? Who dares to attack me! I must get to my control center and open fire with my missiles!" She slowed down, remembering that there were two people, very likely Tracy daughters, standing in her disguise room. _They do not matter. I will escape through my secret door._ Striding over to the other side of her room, she tapped a decoration on her wall three times. Nothing happened. Irritated, she did it again, hitting the decoration harder this time. Still nothing. She swore under her breath, a long, inventive curse in Malay. _The blast must have damaged or blocked the door._ Looking over her shoulder, she regarded the door to the disguise room. _It seems that I must confront the two who wait for me._

Reaching out with her mind, she touched the minds outside her bedroom. _As I thought, two of Tracy's bitches. But they are the weak one and the stupid one. I should be able to either control or neutralize them easily._ Squaring her shoulders, Bella summoned up her power. She was surprised at how much effort it took. _My possession of my nephew drained me more than I realized. I must do this quickly and retaliate._

Eyes glowing, she stepped quietly up to the door and, flinging it open, strode confidently through... only to be doubled over by a cricket bat to the abdomen. Christa had been lying in wait for just such an opportunity. Mae followed it up with a shot from her stun gun, and in seconds, their enemy lay at their feet.

"Well, what do you know!" Christa said, grinning. "Daddy was right!"

"Silly! Daddy is always right!" Mae said, rolling her eyes. Then she stopped for a moment and amended her statement. "Well, almost always."

* * *

Jeff, Kyrano, Val, and Brains cautiously picked their way through the rubble of the entrance hall. A good portion of the ceiling had collapsed on the left, and the statuary in the room were knocked over or shattered. Jeff raised his eyes to the hallway before him and he broke into a smile. Standing before him was Sally, her arm draped over JC's shoulders, and the younger girl's arm around her waist.

"Hi, Daddy," she said with a little wiggle of her fingers.

Jeff strode forward and pulled his eldest into his embrace, lacing his fingers through her hair.

"Oh, thank God you're okay," he whispered. He kissed her head, and let go of her. Reaching out, he pulled JC into a one-armed hug. "You've done great work, Jerrie." Val moved in to give Sally her own greetings.

"I h-hate to, uh, break this up, b-but we still have to find Bella G-Ghant," Brains reminded them.

"I do not think my sister will be a threat for a while," Kyrano said quietly. "Come with me."

He led the way deeper into the temple, past the prisoner cells and the communications room. But before he could lead them the rest of the way to where his sister was, he saw the alcove at the end of the great hall and stopped stock still. The curtains were drawn back and the larger-than-life-sized statue of Tin-Tin was revealed. Jeff came up behind him, his eyes drawn to the image with the firelight flickering across its surface. Kyrano's usually serene face became impassive, and his hands clenched into fists. Jeff shot a look at him. He had never seen his friend so angry.

JC came over and tugged at Jeff's arm. "Christa and Mae have her sewn up over here."

"I'm coming," Jeff said. He put a hand on Kyrano's shoulder. The tensed muscles did not relax beneath his touch. Jeff sighed, and turned to follow JC.

They entered the disguise room through the kitchen to find Christa and Mae standing over the unconscious form of Bella Ghant. Sally sat in the one chair in the room, Val standing beside her, while Brains examined the sophisticated mask-making equipment.

Christa offered the cricket bat to JC.

"This looks familiar," JC quipped. "I take it you used it on her?"

"Sure did," Christa replied with a grin. "Turnabout is fair play, you know."

"Daddy?" Mae asked, noticing that her father hadn't said a word but was just staring at the woman on the floor.

"Yes, Mae?" Jeff replied, glancing up at her.

"What do you want us to do?"

Jeff waved a hand in the direction in the prone form. "Tie her up and make sure you blindfold her. Then bring her out to the main hall." Then he turned on his heel and left the room.

* * *

Bella groaned as consciousness returned. She opened her eyes, or at least tried to, but found herself blindfolded. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was seated on a chair.

Jeff contemplated his enemy. She was beautiful; she had the café au lait skin and the dark, straight hair of the Polynesian, cut short to fit under the masks. Her face, even in her fifties, was smooth and free of wrinkles. She was taller than normal for her people, and she had a slim figure with a small bust. He could see how, with the proper padding and mask, she could be mistaken for a man. He had not seen her eyes open; he knew that to leave them uncovered would invite disaster. But her beauty had a cruel edge to it, and he found it difficult to believe that she and Kyrano were related.

"Who is there?" she asked, her voice pitched low and sounding masculine.

"I am, sister," Kyrano said quietly.

Bella laughed. "I am sure that Tracy is here as well. Well, you may think you have the upper hand, _brother_ , but _I_ am in control of this situation. I know who is behind International Rescue. I know where its base is, and where the secret satellite is in orbit. I have many of its secrets. I have control of your son. You would do well to parlay with me while I am in a generous mood."

"There will be no parlay," Kyrano replied. "As for what you know and what you can do to my son, I will deal with that myself."

"How, brother?" she sneered. "You are not strong enough. You are soft-hearted, compassionate. You cannot hurt me."

Kyrano said nothing, just stood there looking at her. Jeff took stock of the situation and turned to his children.

"Girls, take Sally out to Thunderbird Two's sick bay. Val, you take Thunderbird One and head for home. Christa, follow her in Thunderbird Two. Brains, go with them."

The girls saw the resolute expression on their father's face, and each stood quietly to kiss him and left, with many backward glances. Within moments, those within the temple could hear the roar of the Thunderbirds' engines as they lifted off.

Jeff turned to Kyrano, who stood silently by his half-sister.

"You should go, too, Jefferson," the retainer said quietly, not looking at his friend.

"I am here in case you need my strength," Jeff replied.

"I will not need it. My sister is weakened. Her possession of Tin-Tin has cost her much of her strength. I will be able to do what I need to."

"You cannot match my power, brother," Bella said. "Even weakened, I am too much for you."

"We shall see." Kyrano looked over at Jeff. "Go. Please. If I need you, I will call."

The two men matched gazes for a long moment, then Jeff nodded and turned away. He left the temple, and went out to the helijet.

_I'd better call home and see how Ruby is doing. Let her know that the girls are on their way home._

An hour later, Jeff was dozing in the pilot's seat when a quiet voice within his head awakened him.

_"Jefferson. Please come."_

Jeff climbed out of the pilot's seat and made his way back to the great hall. Kyrano sat on a bench, looking pale and wan. Bella sat motionless in the chair, her eyes staring ahead blankly.

"What...?" Jeff started to ask.

Kyrano held up a hand. "She is no longer a threat," he said wearily.

"How did you...?"

"We fought. I won." Kyrano's gaze turned to the statue of Tin-Tin. "We must destroy it."

Jeff smiled softly. "My pleasure, Kyrano."


	23. A Final Word To Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. The end of the saga. For something that was only supposed to last seven chapters, it rather took on a life of its own. If you are reading this for the first time, please tell me how I did with the gender-swaps. I tried very hard to keep Brains's gender a secret until this last chapter; I'd like to know if I was successful.

_Six months later_

The fire on the beach crackled merrily, and the music was loud and raucous. Brains and Christa were dancing, and the engineer splayed a long-fingered hand across his wife's burgeoning belly. Christa Hackenbacker Tracy looked up at her husband as she leaned back into him, their hips gyrating to the music in unison. Brains, or Hiram, as he was now known around the household, hadn't minded adding the Tracy name to his rather unwieldy one. It gave him some measure of prestige in the scientific world, where his aeronautic designs were making a big splash.

JC offered a s'more to Lee, her fiancé. He accepted the treat with a grin, and leaned over to kiss her. Once Christa's unplanned pregnancy became known, JC had taken charge of Thunderbird Two, and Lee, after his heart-to-heart, potential father-in-law to potential son-in-law talk with Jeff, was brought into the loop and offered the job of piloting Thunderbird Four. Lee was surprised, to say the least, but honored to think that International Rescue thought so much of his skills that they would bring him in without the benefit of being part of the family. "I suspect that little detail will take care of itself in time," Jeff was heard to mutter. He accepted, and resigned his commission with WASP, moving out to live with his bride-to-be's family.

Sally sat with Mae, watching their sisters. Sally's relationship with Eddie had fizzled out when she learned that he had no qualms about cutting down rainforest and not replanting outside the bounds of the roads he built. Not only that, but he sold his company to a larger firm, a direct competitor to Tracy Industries, something he swore he'd never do. Sally saw this as a slap in the face of her family, and broke things off with him.

Mae's dalliance with Tin-Tin was long over. Once he had recovered from his ordeal, Tin-Tin declared his love for Valentina and they were engaged. Right now, Val was doing her first month-long stint in the newly-repaired Thunderbird Five. Jeff had decided that the human touch was too vitally important to those who were calling for help, and that Thunderbird Five should be continue to be a manned space station. He had Brains improve the scanning systems and develop a strong cloaking and deflector device to protect the station from incoming threats, be they meteors or missiles. It has also been decided that once the engaged pair were married, Tin-Tin would be joining his wife during the monthly rotation. This evening, the young man was getting instruction from his father in the use of his family's gift while the house was basically deserted and everyone was at the beach.

Mae was also returning to space as she had before, but now she had something else to occupy herself during the long, lonely stretches. She was writing a gossip column, full of data provided by her many contacts around the world. She used the pseudonym of Lucy Starr, and was picking up quite a following at her subscription web magazine. Brains had worked it out that any submissions were picked up by a secure, earthbound server, and then transmitted to Thunderbird Five from there, so no one really knew who or where Lucy Starr happened to be.

Sally looked up from the fire, seeing someone approach. She turned the volume of the music down to a dull roar, and greeted the newcomers. "Hi, Dad! Hi, Doc!"

"Hello, Sal," Jeff said, smiling. He took the blanket from his arm and spread it on the sand, then sat down next to the forty-something lady he was escorting. She was a physician who Jeff had met four months earlier when he took Ruby to Sydney for some tests. The careful attention she had paid to his mother-in-law impressed him, and when Ruby was admitted to the hospital for emergency cancer surgery, he found the doctor's quiet confidence to be both soothing and encouraging.

Ruby recovered without complications; the doctor removed all of the cancerous tumor in her neck. And Jeff found himself spending more and more time at the offices in Sydney, forging a friendship that had since progressed into courtship. The girls were thrilled with their father's new ladyfriend, and Ruby, though at first upset that Jeff was serious about wanting a new lady in his life, admitted that he couldn't do much better than the woman who had saved her. Jeff took in stride the good-natured, behind-the-scenes teasing from his daughters that he was only pursuing the doctor because they needed one for International Rescue. To this point, he had not told her about the covert side of the "family business". He wanted to wait until they were firmly a couple, perhaps even engaged, before revealing that particular fact.

Bella Ghant was taken into custody, and though the evidence against her was overwhelming, it was determined that she was unable to stand trial. She now resided in a Malaysian hospice center, a shell of a woman, unable to function on the most basic of levels. Kyrano went faithfully twice a month to see her, but she showed no recognition or signs of stirring from her condition.

Kyrano himself returned from his battle with his sister a changed man. He was much more serious, and there was an underlying sadness about him that not even Jeff could penetrate. He began to teach Tin-Tin how to use the powers that ran in his family, taking care always to stress the inviolate nature of another's mind. The garden became his sanctuary, and if he were not in the kitchen, he could be found there, meditating, seeking solace and self-forgiveness for what he had to do to stop his sister.

Sally looked over at Jeff as a strong vibration shook her watch. He looked back at her knowingly, then whispered in his lady's ear, "How about we take a moonlight cruise, just the two of us?" She smiled, and nodded, and Jeff levered himself to his feet and offered her his hand. They walked off into the darkness, heading for the boat pen.

The younger folk looked at each other, then JC got up and took Lee's hand. "C'mon! That was the emergency signal!"

"I know, girl, I know," Lee responded as she broke into a run and he ran to keep up with her.

"Brains, Christa, please take care of the fire?" Sally asked as she got to her feet.

"Sure, Sal. When we're done with it," Christa replied with a sly smile.

Sally shook her head, and reached down to pull Mae to her feet. Then the two of them ran off toward the Villa.

Hiram wrapped his arms around Christa from behind and watched his sisters-in-law go. He kissed her on the neck and said softly, "Looks like Thunderbirds are go."


End file.
